Distant Memories
by Lingren
Summary: The team gate to a world torn by war, but who can you trust? And can you trust even your own memories? Now Complete!
1. Chapter 1

Here as promised...a new story for you to enjoy!

Category: Action/Adventure, Angst, Drama, Hurt/Comfort, Romance.

Warnings: Violence.

Pairings: Jack/Sam.

Season: 5

Spoilers: Beneath the Surface, Rules of Engagement.

Summary: On a distant planet, a civil war takes its toll on the members of SG-1. But who is it you can really trust? And can you trust your own memories?

Disclaimer: I don't own Stargate SG-1. I wish I did, 'cause Jack & Sam would be together long before now!

DISTANT MEMORIES.

by Lingren.

Chapter 1

SG-1 were gathered at the bottom of the ramp in the gate room waiting for the computer to dial up the planet's address for the latest scheduled mission. The plan was to make contact with the inhabitants of the planet who were supposedly as technically advanced as Earth was. It had been arranged that they were to be met on the other side by a group of armed soldiers who were to escort them through what could well be a hazardous area, and to take them to see the officials representing that world's Government.

Jack and Daniel were idling away the wait by discussing Jack's ability to recall details, or lack of it.

"There is absolutely nothing wrong with my memory Daniel," Jack insisted.

"Is that so?" Daniel answered laughing. "C'mon Jack. It's a well known fact you can't remember half of what we put into our reports."

"Well, maybe that's cos I don't read them in the first place, Dr. Genius Jackson. It has nothing whatsoever to do with my 'forgetting' anything!" Jack retaliated with a smug smile which faded as soon as Daniel's eyes lit up with a triumphant gleam.

"So you...em...finally admit you don't actually...er...**read** anything of what we put into our reports," Daniel crowed in arrogant satisfaction.

Jack glared at him, knowing Daniel had somehow well and truly gotten one over on him.

"I do...sometimes," Jack countered hesitantly. "Just...not all of 'em."

Major Sam Carter sniggered and her CO shot her a warning frown.

"And all of which goes to prove it's not an actual **memory** problem," Jack added gleefully, stroking little quotes into the air with his fingers to emphasise the word - memory.

"Okay! Then, what's the designation of the planet we're about to step onto?" Daniel grinned, daring him to recite it, knowing full well that Jack wouldn't be able to.

Jack knew he was beaten. He never could remember the damn combination of letters and numbers that made up any of the planets' destination codes.

"PZ8...um...9...72?" he said hopefully, and saw a slight shake of the head from Sam out of the corner of his eye, and sighed. "Ah...whatever," he uttered with exasperation. "We're goin' somewhere that has to do with... 'Bananas'!" Jack announced proudly as he clicked his fingers, knowing he was right.

Sam burst out laughing, almost doubling over in stitches. Colonel Jack O'Neill, had that effect on her when he mispronounced names, whether intentionally or not, but this time he'd excelled himself.

Teal'c who was standing passively to one side, his hand firmly grasping the shaft of his staff weapon in preparation for embarkation, was listening intently to the argument, and merely raised a lofty eyebrow at this puzzling definition. Sometimes he thought he understood the Tau'ri and at others was still totally perplexed.

"See! See! I was right! You can't remember!" Daniel laughed joyfully, practically jumping up and down waving his arms around. "I knew you'd never remember it! And it's Ban Danara we're gating to Jack." Daniel reminded him, shaking his head in resignation. "It's got nothing to do with...bananas?"

"I was close," Jack shrugged. "Daniel, you know darn well I never remember any of those crazy codes anyway, but that doesn't mean to say I don't remember other more important things. You..." he said, poking an accusing finger at Daniel's chest. "...You never remember to pack spare rounds of ammunition unless I remind you. You just never know what's out there Daniel. Danger could be but a step away," Jack dramatically waved a nonchalant hand at the spinning gate, before returning it to rest on the breech of his P-90. "Well, have you?"

"Have I what?" asked Daniel, his face wrinkled in puzzlement.

"Packed any extra ammunition?" Jack sighed patiently. "Have you **forgotten** what we were talking about already?" he asked, drawing imaginary speech marks in the air again to emphasise his message. He held an amused twinkle in his dark eyes as he grinned at Sam.

Daniel at least had the grace to look a little sheepish and Jack picked up on that, laughing softly to himself. He beckoned to an SF who then passed him a small package from the floor beside the wall and Jack handed it to Daniel who slipped it embarrassingly into one of the pockets in his vest.

"Seems I'm not the only one around here who needs to be reminded of things occasionally. The really important things I remember perfectly well Danny boy. I just don't bother filling my head with useless facts. I have enough to do to watch you like a hawk in case you decide to wander off and get yourself, and us, into trouble. And to remind you what it is we actually do around here. We're not here just to play at archaeological studies every time we step through that." He jerked a thumb over his shoulder indicating the Stargate. "This is technically a war zone Daniel as you know full well!"

Before Daniel could think of a suitable reply to the unwarranted lecture from his friend, another voice interrupted their little debate.

General Hammond had been standing in the control room listening to his best team bantering back and forth; a smile playing on his lips. It was great to see them in such good spirits. With four such diverse characters in one team, the cohesion within it seemed to work like magic. They were unique among the other teams, but it was more than that; they were family, and Hammond was justifiably proud of their achievements.

"Everything all right down there Colonel?"

Jack swung round to face his CO.

"Yes sir. We're fine. Rarin' t' go sir. Just say the word General!" he answered with zeal.

General Hammond couldn't help but grin. Jack was in full flow today and he vaguely wondered what sort of scrapes his premier team would get themselves into today because of it. It was a well known fact that sometimes it was Jack's mouth that got them into trouble in the first place. Though to be perfectly honest, he always managed to get them home again despite the odds. He was a good leader, and deserved his place as 2IC of the SGC, even if he was sometimes impossible and irreverent, and even insubordinate on occasions as well as being an infuriating smart ass, but he was also passionately loyal too. Hammond knew there was no-one else he would rather have as his right-hand man.

The wormhole exploded into life and Hammond called out to them below.

"SG-1, you have a go. You have 3 days Colonel. Good luck out there people. God speed!"

"Thank you sir," Jack said, snapping off a quick salute. "Ready kids?" he asked just before he dashed up the ramp and leapt into the shimmering event horizon.

They moved as one and followed their intrepid CO into the unknown.

TBC


	2. Chapter 2

_Thanks for the reviews, Froggy0319 and Pain in the Mikta. Hope you stay the course._

DISTANT MEMORIES

By Lingren

_Previously:_

"SG-1, you have a go. You have 3 days Colonel. Good luck out there people. God speed!"

"Thank you sir," Jack said, snapping off a quick salute. "Ready kids?" he asked just before he dashed up the ramp and leapt into the shimmering event horizon.

They moved as one and followed their intrepid CO into the unknown.

Chapter 2

Jack's momentum kept him going as he stepped too rapidly from the gate, but he regained his balance quickly before he could fall flat on his face and injure his pride. He brought his weapon up to bear, ready for action while he protected the rest of his team as they too stumbled from the wormhole.

All except Teal'c that is, he however, stepped calmly as usual from the event horizon and brought his staff weapon to readiness.

"So...ah...where's our escort?" Daniel asked bewildered, looking round at the empty clearing.

"You tell me Daniel. I have a feeling I'm not gonna like this. Carter?"

"I don't know sir. Maybe they were delayed."

"O'Neill!" Teal'c's quiet warning alerted Jack that something was happening. "I detect a movement through the bushes to your right."

Jack and Daniel swiftly turned to the right and Jack's finger twitched impatiently on his weapon's trigger. While Sam kept watching their backs.

"Oh yeah! Did I mention this doesn't feel right?" Jack muttered to his team.

Daniel, being Daniel was ready to make contact with the unknown forces that were watching them closely.

"Ah...Hello!" he shouted, waving his arm at them. "We're SG-1, from the planet Earth."

Jack was almost ready to throttle Daniel.

"Daniel!" he hissed turning towards the younger man, wishing he wasn't quite so naïve when it came to making first contact. "Why don't you..."

"Uh...Colonel!" Sam warned.

Jack swung round again in time to see armed soldiers stepping from the cover of the trees all round to surround them and the gate, their weapons held loosely in front of them.

"Crap!" Jack cursed under his breath.

They kept moving forward until their apparent leader stood about 10 metres in front of Jack.

Too late to back down now, he introduced himself.

"Hi! I'm Colonel Jack O'Neill," Jack began. He was still a little wary of these people; they could be just about anyone who happened by at that time. "We've just dropped by at the invitation of the Government officials of..."

"...Ban Danara!" Daniel interrupted quickly. He didn't want Jack to say Banana again and risk upsetting these people.

"I was gonna say that!" Jack snipped. "What?" he asked as Daniel glared at him.

"We don't want to upset them Jack and I know you!"

"Daniel!" Jack hissed in exasperation again, then relented and waved a hand for him to continue. "Okay. It's all yours."

So far the soldiers hadn't said a word, but as Daniel glared at Jack and he glared right back. The locals decided that it was time to make a move.

In a blur of action, Jack caught movement and the sound of gunshots. He froze when he caught sight of Sam falling unconscious to the ground; a little grunt of surprise and pain wrenched from her lips as she fell. Jack could feel his heart clench as she lay unmoving.

"NOOOOO!" he screamed in denial. Sam couldn't be dead. No way! How could he have missed the signs that this 'meet 'n greet' would all go to hell in a hand-basket so quickly?

Then in the few seconds before he could react, he saw Daniel go down too. He was well and truly enraged by now, angry with himself that he'd been so easily distracted and it had possibly cost the lives of dearest friends. He opened fire on the assembled troops with a ferocious vigour, dropping himself onto one knee behind the DHD for shelter while he fired towards the enemy like a man possessed. He saw Teal'c get hit, but the Jaffa bravely carried on, until even he was beaten too.

After a brief but intense battle in which Jack killed or maimed at least a dozen or more soldiers he found himself surrounded. He stood up hesitantly, dropping his P-90 to the ground, then carefully lifted his hand gun and dropped it onto the ground too and raised his hands. He knew defeat when it stared him in the face. He cast a forlorn look once more at the inert bodies of his team before he turned his eyes back to the leader of these men and momentarily closed his eyes, swallowing hard. Waiting for the inevitable. He was hoping to be tied up and taken away, but his next breath was snatched from his lungs when he was shot several times. He collapsed to the ground in agony and oblivion tugged insistently at his consciousness.

Before he gave up the fight though, Jack forced his eyes to remain open long enough to cast one last look at the sight of Sam lying motionless at the foot of the gate. She meant everything to him. Sam was the light of his day, the very sun his world revolved round; now he'd lost her, and his own life no longer mattered. Her name fell from his lips even as the darkness swept him away.

OoOoOoOoO

Major Samantha Carter woke slowly, gradually becoming aware of her surroundings. It certainly didn't smell like any infirmary that she knew of. If anything it smelt like...unwashed bodies? Lots of unwashed bodies. There was a constant murmuring in the background, like that of many hushed voices. Her eyes flew open and she looked up into the worried bespectacled face of Daniel Jackson.

"Daniel!" she gasped. "Where are we?".

"In some sort of prison Sam," Daniel replied gloomily. "Don't know where though. You got a headache?"

"Yeah! And sore ribs too," she groaned, rubbing away the ache. She suddenly recalled everything that happened in vivid clarity, especially getting shot, so now she scrabbled about looking for the wound.

"Ah...Don't bother Sam," Daniel sighed. "You won't find anything! They must have used some sort of stun weapons."

"Really? It felt so...real," she gasped in disbelief.

"Ya think?" Daniel sighed, unconsciously mimicking Jack's expression.

"Where are Teal'c and Colonel O'Neill?" Sam asked looking round for them.

"Ah...no idea actually. There's just us in here with these people." He jerked a thumb over his shoulder to indicate the other prisoners. "I can't get much out of them except... Sam, we stepped right into the middle of a civil war. We were supposed to meet with the Government troops but somehow we're prisoners of the Opposition. It appears that their troops captured the gate a couple of hours before we arrived."

"Oh God! Daniel we have to find out what happened to the Colonel and Teal'c."

"I know Sam, but I don't think these people know much about what's really going on. I only know this much because I got chatting with a soldier who got captured when the Stargate was taken. He doesn't even know what happened to the rest of his troop. He was part of the official escort that was supposed to meet us. Jack and Teal'c could be stuck somewhere in another prison camp miles away from here. Reynol said there are lots of these camps dotted all over the place. This war's been going on for years apparently, and neither side appears to be winning."

"Reynol?"

"The guy I spoke to. He'll be back in a minute he's trying to find out if anyone knows anything else about what's going on out there. This place is rife with rumours, though none of which makes any kind of sense to me."

"Since when has war ever made sense anyway Daniel?" Sam sighed, stretching her body against the stiffness from lying on the solid ground.

They both leant back against the wall and sat in quiet contemplation.

After a few minutes, Reynol returned with some food he'd managed to grab when the guards had thrown the food bag into the cell. It had been every man for himself, but being a soldier he managed to grab enough for the three of them without being threatened.

"Hello, you must be Sam," he smiled, reaching out a hand to shake hers.

"Yeah. Hi!" she grimaced in reply, not at all happy at their situation.

"Well it's a sure bet your companions aren't here," Reynol said, sharing out the food. "No one has seen a tall dark man with a tattoo on his forehead, or a silver haired man, both of whom were supposedly dressed like you."

"What will happen to these people and those at the other camps?" Sam asked, not sure she really wanted to know. She could only assume that Colonel O'Neill and Teal'c had survived, just as they had. She refused to believe they might possibly be dead.

"It depends," the soldier shrugged. "Most of the civilians are released at the end of the week. The rest of us, soldiers like myself, will be reconditioned and sent back into the battlefield."

"What do you mean...reconditioned?" Daniel frowned. "I'm not sure I like the sound of that,"

"It means that their memories will be wiped clean and they are stamped anew to fight for the side whichever holds them," Reynol answered calmly. "It happens all the time."

Daniel and Sam exchanged a worried grimace.

"You two will probably be interrogated before being tossed back through the gate again, forbidden to ever return again. I don't think they will harm you but they will be wary of your intentions.

"Do they always use stun guns?" asked Sam wondering if somehow this war was something rather like the war games they had stumbled upon for training Apophis' young warriors to impersonate the SGC troops at that time. They had used similar weapons.

"Not always. If they wish their prisoners to live they use stun guns. Mostly on the civilians though. For enemy soldiers they occasionally use real weapons. It all depends on the circumstances and who the unfortunate victims are!" Reynol informed them knowledgably.

"Is there any way to get out of here?" Daniel whispered, desperate to find his friends and escape from this nightmare world.

"None. No-one has ever escaped to my knowledge, and this is the third time I have been here in this situation," Reynol explained.

"The third time?" Daniel and Sam gasped out together. "How can you tell? I mean, if they wipe all memory..."

"Some of the prisoners recognised me from before. We're not supposed to remember but sometimes you do."

Sam's face paled and Daniel held onto her hand, offering a little comfort, though whether it was for her benefit or his, he wasn't sure.

"So you expect to be 're-conditioned' again?"

Reynol nodded and shrugged his shoulders.

"I am a good soldier. I have obviously survived the reconditioning process several times, which means I have been captured by both sides, reconditioned again and sent back out into the fray once more. So the cycle continues."

Sam was appalled. She just couldn't imagine what it must feel like. It sounded like both the Government and the Opposition forces were as bad as each other.

"What does this reconditioning actually do?"

"They wipe your memories clean and then brainwash you into fighting for their side."

"Daniel if they did that to the Colonel..."

"They would not!" Reynol replied quickly. "He is a stranger among us. I have only seen them take known soldiers away from the enemy. They will not harm him or your dark friend."

"God, I hope you're right!" Sam sighed.

Their attention was snagged by the opening of the cell door, and two soldiers entered, sorting through the crowd.

They stopped in front of the two SGC members and then pulled Daniel to his feet.

"Come with us!" they ordered.

Sam shot to her feet to object, but Reynol held her back.

She fought off Reynol's hands with anger burning in her eyes as Daniel yelled back at her that he would be okay.

"I said earlier that they will not harm him. You and he will most likely be gone from here before long."

"Not without the others we won't!" Sam spat determinedly. She wasn't about to leave Teal'c and the man she loved behind. No way!

TBC


	3. Chapter 3

Thanks for the reviews - debcole; Froggy0319. More angst to come I'm afraid...you should know me by now!

DISTANT MEMORIES

By Lingren.

_Previously:_

"I said earlier that they will not harm him. You and he will most likely be gone from here before long."

"Not without the others we won't!" Sam spat determinedly. She wasn't about to leave Teal'c and the man she loved behind. No way!

Chapter 3

Daniel was led into a brightly lit room. There was little in the way of furniture around; a couple of chairs, a table with a notepad placed in front of the dark haired military man sitting on one side of the table. Daniel was pushed into the seat opposite him.

"Who are you?" he began as soon as Daniel was seated.

"So who wants to know?" Daniel countered without hesitation. 'Oh yeah...I've definitely been around Jack too long,' he mused.

The military officer gave him a cold look and ignored the question.

"Are you a soldier?"

"No," Daniel answered truthfully.

"You are dressed like one."

"I may work with them, but I'm not one of them."

"Then what are you?"

"Actually, I'm an Archaeologist, but I work as a Linguist and the Diplomat of my team," Daniel admitted. He saw no reason not to tell them that little scrap of truth.

The man laughed heartily.

"An Archaeologist? What good is that on a fighting team? What does your army want with such as you?"

"Actually," Daniel held up a finger to make a point. "I'm with the Air Force. There's a big difference you know!" 'Oh yeah, Jack would be proud of that statement,' he grinned inwardly.

The overweight man in the uniform grunted with annoyance.

"Can you fight like a military man?"

"I'm an Archaeologist! What do you think? I work with the trowels and brushes of my trade, not with weapons." Daniel hedged away from admitting anything else to this man.

"Then why did you not have them with you yesterday?"

"This was meant to be a diplomatic mission, not an Archaeological dig," he replied seriously.

The man gazed long and hard, deciding whether or not to believe what Daniel was saying.

"Where are my friends?" Daniel asked, taking the opportunity in the lull of questions and hoping to gain an insight into where Jack and Teal'c were being held.

"Your giant alien friend, well, I'm not sure. Perhaps he has gone home. Who knows? As for your other friend, the one you call Colonel Jack O'Neill?..." he paused to silently acknowledge the recognition in Daniel's eyes. "Well, he is gone, unfortunately."

"Gone? What do you mean Gone? Gone home? Or..."

Daniel could feel his heart stop at those words, wondering if it meant exactly what they implied.

"Gone! As in...he is no more. He's dead. He died of his wounds, therefore he was of no use to us, so we left him behind. I have no idea whether he is still there or if your dark skinned friend took his body home. Whatever. It is of no consequence now."

Daniel flew from his chair, shouting negation, but he didn't get far. Two guards held him back as he yelled in shocked denial at the man who had so casually informed him of his best friend's demise. He wanted so hard to believe Jack was still alive.

"Why?" he screamed. "Oh God, why?"

Daniel felt tears stinging his eyes.

"You sonovabitch! How could you? He never did anything to you or your so called army. He was a good man."

He struggled harder but with each attempt, they held him tighter.

"Let me go!" He fought off the restraining hands but they wouldn't release him. Instead they dragged him kicking and screaming from the room and back to the prison, where they threw him back into the stinking cell.

He collapsed to his hands and knees, curling over into a tight ball against the pain of loss, sobbing Jack's name in disbelief. Jack was his mentor, his brother, his best friend. How could he be gone?

Sam felt the air turn frigid when she saw Daniel, and came to the only conclusion she could as Daniel cried out in grief.

She dropped down beside her friend and slipped her arms round his shoulders.

Daniel turned and wrapped her in his arms as he brokenly told her that Jack was dead.

They both consoled each other through their tears, while Reynol observed them guiltily.

The soldier was angry that the military hierarchy had killed these good people's friend, and that in doing so, they had turned him into a liar. He'd assured them that no harm would befall their leader. Now, their trust in him had been betrayed. He was sick and tired of this war. Sick of being a part of the deceptions, of being used as a pawn in a stupid mindless game of killing. He vowed he would do anything for these two new 'friends', no matter what it cost him.

Meanwhile at a camp many miles away, Teal'c was sitting propped up in the corner of a small airless room that he shared with several others, though no-one was brave enough to stray too close to the giant of a man. He had tried to ask them where he was but again, nobody, it seemed, was willing to risk talking to him either.

The door of the room flew open and everyone cowered in the other corner. Teal'c merely stood and faced the guards when they approached him.

"You will come with us!" the soldier stated, his voice intoned while his face remained impassive, despite being dwarfed by the prisoner.

Teal'c exited the room in silence, but could hear the whispers break out among his fellow room-mates before the door was closed on them.

He was led down several passages before being urged to enter a small dark room, where they stood him in front of the rather tatty looking desk, covered in scratches. There wasn't much on it, just a note pad, a pen and a lamp. He was coerced into sitting down on a hard wooden chair and the lamp was duly shone straight into his face. He flinched slightly away from the brightness, but was required to look right straight ahead, or risk being punished.

Out of the corner of his eye he could see a man in the shadows, sitting on the opposite corner of the desk.

"Who are you and where do you come from?" the dark stranger asked.

Teal'c remained silent.

"We are not here to harm you. Yet! We wish only to know why you were found near the great circle with several dead Opposition troops?"

Still Teal'c remained silent, his back ramrod straight, his gaze fixed on nothing, as he continually refused to answer the questions.

"Who is the leader of your group?"

Yet again Teal'c ignored the question.

He heard the man sigh heavily.

"I am here as a representative of the Government on Ban Danara. We were expecting a team from a planet called Earth with a view to becoming allies. Are you one of those people?"

Teal'c turned his gaze slightly towards the man.

"If this is so, then why are you treating me as a prisoner?"

"I was told that several people were captured near the great circle, but not whom. You must tell me if this is so, so that I may find your friends and release them too if they are here."

"How can I believe your words? You have done nothing yet to earn my trust."

The man reached over and snapped off the lamp, and the overhead light came on, though the glow was minimal and still gave nothing away.

A plate of food and a glass of water was produced and placed in front of him.

The man motioned to the Jaffa to partake of the meal.

"Please eat, drink! You must be hungry."

When Teal'c still refused to move he sighed again, shifting from the desk to sit in his own chair behind it.

"Look, my name is Darras. Please, I am only here to help you. You were found unconscious at the foot of the great circle. My government wishes me to help you find the others **if** you are indeed one of these people from Earth."

Teal'c watched as Darras broke off a piece of the food and ate it, taking a sip of the water too.

"I am being perfectly honest with you. And the food is perfectly safe, else I would be dying right now. Eat!"

Teal'c did eat. He was very hungry and thirsty. Within minutes the food had gone and the water almost as quickly.

Darras watched fascinated by this huge male, he towered over his own people. He wondered if all Earth based humans were the same.

"I am not of the Tau'ri of Earth!" Teal'c stated almost as if he had read Darras' mind. "I am a Jaffa. My home world is Chulak, but I am allied to the Tau'ri. I am Teal'c." Teal'c gave a slight regal bow when he'd finished speaking.

"Thank you," Darras breathed a sigh of relief. "So you are part of the Earth group?"

"I am. I must also find the rest of my team. We were fired upon soon after our arrival."

"How many of you were there?"

"Colonel O'Neill is our leader. Then there is Major Carter and Daniel Jackson."

"Just the four of you?"

"Yes!"

"And dressed the same as you?"

"They are."

"I'm afraid we only discovered you then. The others must be prisoners of the Opposition forces. I apologise for your earlier treatment, but we had to make certain of your identity. We have been tricked many times before."

"Then we must rescue my friends at once."

"All in good time...Teal'c," he said, hesitating over the strange name. "It's not as easy as you think. They could be anywhere. The enemy have hundreds of camps spread over hundreds of miles. It will be like searching for the proverbial needle in a hayrick. It will take time."

"We are not searching for a needle, we are seeking the whereabouts of my friends."

Puzzled by Teal'c's logic, Darras wondered whether he should answer that or ignore it. He though the Jaffa a strange creature.

"I will do my best to locate them. In the meantime I apologise to you again for having held you against your will. Hopefully, you will find your new quarters more to your satisfaction."

"I wish to help look for the others."

"I will have to make enquiries first, then, when we are sure of their whereabouts, you may join us in the battle to free them."

Teal'c stood and gave a little nod of acceptance before being escorted from the room. This time he was led upstairs and away from the odorous holding cells.

OoOoOoOoO

He woke to a pounding headache. He couldn't bring himself to open his eyes just yet, but he could tell from the smells surrounding him he was in some sort of an infirmary. The all pervasive smell of disinfectant and ether hung heavily about the air and he risked opening one eye. He knew it was a hospital. This room sounded like it was a vast bustling ward, and when he was finally able to see around him, he found there were about 50 beds arranged in rows around him. He blinked a few times before he realised he was being watched.

"Hello!" he said, wondering what had happened to him.

"Hello there. How are you feeling now?"

"Headache!" he sighed. "Sore!" he rubbed a hand across his torso, feeling the familiar ache of vaguely remembered wounds.

"It was expected. You were badly wounded, but you will be fine soon!"

"Where am I?"

"In the army hospital of course!" she giggled. "Where else would you be when you have been wounded for the Cause?"

"Yeah right! Silly question," he quipped, no wiser than before.

He struggled to sit upright when he saw two army officers approach him. After helping to prop him up, the nurse left hurriedly, almost curtsying as she backed away.

"It is good to see you recovering at last Colonel. General Ornan has been extremely worried about our newest hero."

"Er...thank you...sir. I think. I don't remember a thing. What happened?"

"Why, you were wounded for the Just Cause Colonel, and the ruling party for the Opposition Forces reward you with this medal for your outstanding services." The older man leant forward and shook his hand placing a small black box in the other one. "Congratulations Colonel Tobin! Your next assignment is ready for you when you have recovered from your wounds."

"Ah Thank you sir." He could barely recall getting hit let alone what he'd done to deserve this medal.

He was distracted from his thoughts when those patients that were able, clapped and cheered him; and he coloured up slightly from embarrassment. He tried to shrug it off by grinning.

"Report to General Ornan at 07.00 tomorrow Colonel."

"Yes sir!" he answered smartly.

The headache was back full force now and after the officers had taken their leave, the nurse came back. He lay back among the pillows again trying to piece together everything he could but it was useless all he could recall was falling down in agony from an attack, but not why or where. He opened the box and fingered the bright metal star with the colourful ribbon. If only he could think straight.

"You must rest. Go back to sleep Colonel and when you wake again I will bring you some dinner."

He was too tired to argue, and allowed the nurse to stow the box and it's precious contents in the locker beside him. He drifted off to sleep again in no time at all.

TBC


	4. Chapter 4

_Thanks for all your reviews guys. Sorry for the delay in posting this chapter. RL gets in the way sometimes! Thanks to Spacejunkie82; debcole; Revvie-S; and Froggy0319 – especially for keeping my flagging spirits up on this one. _

_I need Reviews guys…c'mon R & R! Pretty Please!_

DISTANT MEMORIES

By Lingren.

_Previously:_

He was too tired to argue, and allowed the nurse to stow the box and it's precious contents in the locker beside him. He drifted off to sleep again in no time at all.

Chapter 4

"Colonel Tobin reporting for duty sir!" the officer snapped off a smart salute and waited until it was returned.

"At ease Colonel!" General Ornan saluted easily, then leaned back in his chair, letting his eyes rove appraisingly over the officer in front of him. He was taller than most of the men under his command; older too, but that wasn't a problem. He had a distinct military air about him, adding weight to his famed accomplishments and exploits.

"Welcome to Force One Colonel. I must say we are privileged to have you serve among our ranks. Your reputation is the envy of the whole base. I hope you can live up to your legendary status.

"So do I sir. I'll try not to disappoint you General."

Tobin might not recall anything that had happened to him, but years of being in the military was ingrained into his very being. He accepted his lot and had obviously excelled in his previous missions.

"I have a special assignment for you Colonel. But do try not to get yourself killed, wounded or captured this time."

"I'll try my best sir!" he grinned.

"I've assigned you a new team. You are to put those special skills of yours to the test and infiltrate behind the enemy lines and blow the government's Landsern power building. It will disrupt the enemy for weeks, giving us a chance to reclaim some of the territory we've lost over the last month or so."

He handed Tobin a document pouch.

"Your orders and the details are in there Colonel. Go, brief your team and be ready to move out in four hours. It's a long walk to the front line and beyond."

"Yes sir!" he saluted again which was returned dutifully.

"Dismissed!" General Ornan waved a hand at the door and the Colonel made a hasty exit. He had a job to do and knew he was the right man to do it.

Much of his time with the army was still a blur but he did remember how to use explosives and creep up on the unsuspecting enemy. The adrenalin was pumping already and he was eager to get going.

He found his team gathered together in one of the huts he had been assigned to, and introduced himself.

"Colonel Tobin," he said, presenting himself after he'd told them all to relax. "I'm your new CO."

"Captain Fraker sir!" the first man stepped forward, hand outstretched.

"Captain!" Tobin replied, shaking hands with him and then moved on to the next officer.

"Major Gillan sir! Your 2IC."

"Major!"

"Lieutenant Soary sir!"

"Lieutenant!"

"Sergeant Bronan sir!"

"Sergeant!" the Colonel acknowledged. "We all here guys?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes sir!" they all answered.

"Good. Here's our mission brief..."

He filled them in, going over every detail several times to make sure they all knew exactly what their job entailed.

"We leave in two hours. I suggest you get some rest. Meet me here 15 minutes beforehand!"

"Yes sir!" the reply rang out smartly.

OoOoOoOoO

Tobin took their sixes letting Major Gillan lead. While he trudged towards the enemy lines, he took time to study his new team members.

Major Gillan was short and wiry, but appeared to be tough as old boots. Nothing seemed to escape the man. He was glad, it would come in handy. That was one of the reasons he'd put him on point. His dark hair was hidden beneath the camouflage cap he wore. It was slightly longer than the military would normally allow but he let it slide for now.

Captain Fraker was slightly taller, and definitely liked his food. If anything he was a little on the plump side, but Tobin knew that serving under him, the man would lose some of that easily. He was scarred across his face. The ugly puckered skin reaching his jaw from somewhere under his blonde thatch.

Tobin knew he would have to have a word about that when they drew nearer to enemy. That hair of his would dazzle like a beacon when the moon slipped from behind the clouds again.

They were only about 5 miles away now and it was getting dark already with heavy clouds scudding across the darkening sky playing hide and seek with the moon, and Colonel Tobin was happy that they should be able to pull this off without too much hassle.

Lt. Soary was a different kind of guy. Fairly new to the army too he reckoned. He had looked up to Tobin with something akin to hero worship which he found difficult to swallow. He was no hero. He was just an ordinary guy doing his duty.

Sgt. Bronan was a tough old soldier with plenty of sorties under his belt but his attitude left a lot to be desired apparently, that's why he was still an NCO, or so Tobin had been warned. He needed a strong guiding hand and the powers that be had decided that he was that someone who could handle him. So far he'd not seen any trouble brewing from the man but he'd keep a close eye on him anyway, just in case.

A few miles on, the Colonel checked his watch and signalled his men to drop where they were. He snuck up to the front of the team and checked his compass.

"Okay. We're almost there. This is enemy territory so stay quiet and keep alert. I'll take point. Gillan watch our six. Oh and Fraker..." Tobin tossed him a hat and pointed to his hair.

Fraker nodded and pulled the woollen hat over his abundant bright mop of hair.

"All clear?" Tobin asked, needing to know if they knew what was expected of them.

"Yes sir," the Major whispered confidently, while the others nodded. Major Gillan trusted the Colonel implicitly. He'd heard nothing but praise from other soldiers who had known him, so to be part of his team was an honour.

OoOoOoOoO

The power complex was spread out over a large area and Tobin made his team wait in the deep shadows beneath the trees while he scouted out the area. He pulled out the detailed map of the power plant and waited for the moon to shed enough light to read it by.

After 20 minutes he rejoined his team again and issued his orders.

He and Sergeant Bronan crept forwards, heading for the main gate. Fraker and Soary headed for the south side of the area while Gillan took off to the left to plant his explosive charges.

Tobin signalled his accomplice to move into the light from the floodlight area around the gate, and while the guard was distracted he snuck up behind him and silently slit the man's throat.

The guard dropped noiselessly to the floor never having suspected a thing. The Colonel dragged him out of sight and beckoned for Bronan to follow him.

The two men sprinted to the first building, so far unseen by any of the other guards.

Tobin slid quiet as a ghost round the side towards the main generators and ducked quickly to avoid being spotted. It had been a narrow escape and he took a few calming breaths to steady his nerves again.

He peered out between the vehicles he'd hidden behind and the guard had obviously moved off on his patrol. He scurried across the open space as silent as the night and Bronan followed after him a minute later. They crawled behind the storage barrels until they reached the main doorway.

Once again the guard dropped to the ground without a sound, never having suspected a thing until he felt the blade run across his windpipe and by then it was too late. Tobin pulled him behind the barrels out of sight and both soldiers entered the building.

They each took a side of the room, planting their detonators and blocks of dynamite into crevices where they wouldn't be spotted by the casual passer by. They met up at the doorway again and scurried away into the night to regroup with the others.

A shout went up just as they waited for the last member of the team to appear. Tobin looked on in tense frustration as Gillan had been spotted when he'd cleared the last fence.

Shots rang out into the night and Tobin ordered the others to make a run for it. He waited for Gillan to catch him up, offering him covering fire but when the Major was almost within arms reach he suddenly arched his back and cried out in agony before he collapsed boneless to the ground.

Colonel Tobin knew that the Major was dead, he could see the whites of his eyes in the moonlight, staring blankly back at him. He cursed under his breath and ran into the darkness of the forest.

TBC


	5. Chapter 5

_My thanks, and Hugs for those of you who reviewed. _

_Froggie0319; and Revvie-S...thanks guys. Hope you enjoy this chapter too! _

_debcole – special thanks for your e-mail and oh such kind words!_

DISTANT MEMORIES

By Lingren.

_Previously: _

Colonel Tobin knew that the Major was dead, he could see the whites of his eyes in the moonlight, which stared blankly back at him. He cursed under his breath and ran into the darkness of the forest.

Chapter 5

He could hear the sound of running feet. The occasional bullet thudded into a tree near him or a salvo peppered the ground under his feet. His heart pounded in his chest and his breath came hard and fast. He just hoped they would give up soon, surely they were nearing the front line now and he would then be safe.

Something agonisingly punched white hot into him high up in the back of his thigh and he stumbled, falling awkwardly to the ground. This time he could almost smell the enemy as they grew nearer and knew his luck had run out, there was no escape for him now. As the enemy approached he rolled onto his back and fired at point blank range, taking down two of his hunters, but more came forward to finish him off.

Then the air around him erupted into a cacophony of gunfire. There were more cries of agony and suddenly he felt someone lifting him up. He looked up into the face of Captain Fraker. It was then he realised it was the rest of his team; they had waited for him. They may have disobeyed his orders but they'd also saved him from a fate worse than death.

They had also brought with them their two prisoners. The scientists who had been working on a special project within the power plant. Fraker and Soary had caught them just where they were supposed to be and had 'persuaded' them that going with the raiders was the right thing to do unless they wanted to die a terrible death.

Tobin grinned through the pain while Fraker bandaged his bleeding wound. All the sounds of pursuit died away and after another minute or two, silence fell over the night once more. That is, until their handiwork with the explosives erupted noisily into the silence, lighting up the night sky and beyond. Even from their position deep in the forest they could see the glow from the fires.

He gave his team a wide grin and everyone congratulated each other on a job well done. Nobody needed to mention their loss. It was all part of the natural cycle. It happened all the time. It was war.

Mission accomplished, Tobin mused; his team or at least most of his team was safe. A little banged up but safe. He thanked his men for saving his life.

When it was time to move on, they supported his weakened frame for the long walk back to base. They each took turns in helping him so that they never grew too tired, while the other one guarded the handcuffed prisoners closely.

It was late afternoon of the next day when they arrived back at base camp and Tobin was barely able to stand, let alone walk. They carried him straight to the infirmary where the Doctors immediately removed the bullet and dressed the wound.

The Colonel was out of it for the rest of that day and the night, but come the morning and already he was arguing with the medical staff. He insisted that he was fine and needed to get up.

They came to a compromise and placed him in the little sun room to catch the sunshine and from where he could look out over the base and watch everything that was going on from behind the privacy of the blinds. Tobin had to reluctantly agree that it was the best offer he was likely to get, seeing as they wouldn't let him walk just yet. He wouldn't admit that if he'd tried, he'd probably have fallen flat on his face.

So there he sat for the whole day, his leg propped up on a stool for comfort. He could see everything from that room. The barracks off to the left. The officer's quarters to the right. The cook house on the far side behind the shower block. And the prison. He could see people milling about inside the entrance. It was a wide, barred enclosure with one doorway leading into it. The inmates were mostly civilians caught up in the war and he wondered what the authorities would do with them. He couldn't for the life of him recall what happened to them. His memory was still hazy though he could now recall most of his life spent fighting for the Opposition forces.

That night he was helped back to the ward proper, but he made them promise him, that first thing in the morning, he would be allowed to return to that room. It was better than sitting around in a vast room with far too many beds and listening to the soft moans and groans from the wounded. He'd never been keen on hospitals anyway, and hated to be confined.

The nursing staff gave in readily and he settled down to sleep quite content.

But while he slept, he dreamed.

Dreams that haunted his sleep and several times he awoke, sweating, yelling something incomprehensible and had shot upright, panting hard. Countless times the nursing staff had coaxed him into going back to sleep, telling him he had a fever and there was nothing to worry about. Often they would give him something that made it virtually impossible for him to stay awake.

The dreams were so real to him, the images so vivid, yet so strange. He recognised nothing and it had him panting with fear as none of it made any sense to him at all. It was almost as if he'd just run a marathon, he felt so tired and exhausted and just a little afraid.

In one dream he'd been running from strange beings with glowing eyes and they had shot at him with odd sticks that spat fire.

There was a blonde headed female that smiled, stirring up his emotions. She constantly kept popping up in the strangest of places. There were others too, none of whom he recognised. Was this his future? or was it buried in the mysterious past that he still couldn't quite recall? Who was she? He had no way of knowing until he could remember everything.

After a restless night, he needed to escape the vast room quickly. The Doctor insisted he remain in the little sun room, and from where he gained a modicum of comfort; thankful for small mercies, he relaxed in the knowledge that at least he was on his own should he fall asleep again. Out there in that room he would have no witnesses to see his distress if he experienced the dreams again.

He resigned himself to sitting there all day watching the world go by.

His eyes drifted aimlessly around the compound but his interest had peaked when he saw a blonde head just inside the prison gates. He'd seen her there yesterday and although it meant nothing to him then, it did today, and now he couldn't take his eyes from her. Somehow she seemed familiar.

He had another visit from General Ornan who congratulated him on a successful mission. Official sources put the disruption to the enemy at 100 and the experts had said that it was going to take longer than they had anticipated because of all the damage done by Tobin and his men. Plus the fact that they had brought back with them the two top government scientists who were working on the secret project, and were now lost to them. Detailed Plans of the special generators had been destroyed. The enemy would have to start to rebuild from scratch without the vital help of the originators of the new technology.

The Colonel dozed a little in the afternoon. He was still tired from the long march to the raid and the painful hobble back again. Then there were the drowsy effects of the anaesthetic, the drugs they'd given him and a restless night; all these things conspired to make him fall asleep after lunch. He slept peacefully for a couple of hours, and when the nurse had discovered him fast asleep, she had closed the door and forbade anyone to disturb him.

Tobin's sleep was eventually troubled, but not by any human or alien influence. He dreamt. He could see the blonde woman; the one from the prison. He was sure he knew her from somewhere. She was standing in front of a huge ring filled with what looked like shimmering water, but he knew that was impossible. Water couldn't stand upright like that. She flashed a broad smile at him and spoke words he didn't recognize. The scene changed, she was standing in front of what looked like a dark chart of some sort, and he saw her grin and shake her head, then she lifted her hands to explain something so that even he would understand at last. Something to do with worms and apples. It still didn't make any sense to him.

His dream included others too. There was a man. Tall, dark skinned with a strange golden tattoo imprinted on his forehead. He was bald. Then there was another bald headed man who also appeared. This time though he was shorter, plumper, and everyone saluted him. He didn't recognise any of them. He couldn't recall an officer like that at base camp at all. Then a bespectacled younger man appeared, he had long hair and light coloured robes that flowed to the floor. There was sand. He was surrounded by great dunes of sand. There was a tall strange looking four sided structure which stood behind him, it's triangular sides tapering to a point at the very top. He'd never seen it's like anywhere on this world before.

Tobin stirred in his sleep as the images played through his mind. There were battles fought, but not like any he recalled. They were different. Weapons of fire that blasted with burning heat and killed instantly. Hands that held strange crystals and burned the very inside of one's brain until it seemed to melt it. Weapons that spat blue static electricity and hurt like hell, stunning their victims. A fleeting glimpse of things disappearing after a third blast from the snake like weapon.

Tobin woke with a start. He was breathless and panting hard from pain. He'd seen the image of himself getting blasted with the fire from the strange weapon and had yelled out in agony. It had seemed so real. So real he could feel the heat of one of those weapons as it ate away at his thigh. The same thigh that was hurting him like crazy now.

The nurse ran into the room and found him sweating and gasping in pain, holding his throbbing leg. He had slept right through the time his medication was due and now he was in terrible pain. She quickly rang for the Doctor who came straight away and injected him with a pain killer. The Colonel relaxed again as the medication swiftly took effect.

"It's okay Doc. Thanks. I'll be fine now," he wheezed as his breathing settled.

"Perhaps we should get you back to the ward now," the Doctor said.

"No! No, I'm fine. It was just a nightmare, and the pain was bad. I'm okay now. Thanks Doc!"

He fell silent, and his mind turned inwards when he experienced a moment of déjà-vu. The expression of 'Thanks Doc', seemed so familiar to him, and he wondered if perhaps he made a habit out of getting hurt during the battles and having to be patched up again. If only he could remember.

"Are you sure you're okay?"

"Yeah! I'll be alright here. Thanks..." he snapped out of his reflections and was about to repeat the word 'Doc'. It followed on so naturally, but he managed to stop himself I time. "Yeah...Thanks!"

He scrubbed at his face with both hands, rubbing his eyes with the heels of his hands, then waved the Doctor and the nurse aside. They withdrew, but were still concerned for him.

He once again allowed his eyes to drift towards the blonde sitting by the bars of the prison block. The last rays of the sun lighting her hair and turning it to gold. Unconsciously he smiled at another fleeting memory. One of her again, but now she was standing beside some sort of a machine or whatever it was, he couldn't tell. The room was dark, noisy, and hot and full of sweaty people and steaming boilers, but the flickering firelight from the braziers and the smelters danced over her dirt smudged face and burnished her hair with copper and gold as she flashed him a brilliant smile.

Tobin was determined the first opportunity he got, to go and take a closer look at this woman. His curiosity had been bugging him even more so when he'd seen her turn to talk to someone sitting in the shadows. When that someone had moved closer to her, he saw it was a bespectacled man. He gasped in realisation, it was the young man from his dreams too. He just had to find out what was going on. Why they were in prison.

He had a visit from his team in the afternoon. They sat around the room, joking that he had the nursing staff wrapped round his little finger to be afforded the best suite in the hospital.

Fraker watched his CO closely, knowing he was suffering, but trying his hardest to hide it from them. He observed Tobin's eyes as they repeatedly tracked across the compound to the prison and wondered what the fascination was to be found over there. As a blonde headed woman appeared, Tobin's eyes lit with remembrance and he realised that his CO somehow knew this female, perhaps he even fancied her.

"So, who is she?" he asked grinning.

Tobin glanced up at him puzzled.

"Come on sir. You can't keep your eyes off her. Do you actually know her?"

"No!" he snapped. "At least I don't know. She seems familiar."

"Not that familiar or your wife will surely string you up when she next sees you," he roared, the others joining in the joke.

Tobin didn't laugh. He sat with a frown on his face. Wife? He didn't recall having a wife.

"I don't remember. How the hell could I forget that?" he panicked.

"Hey! It's okay. Calm down Colonel. They said things might still be a little hazy," he squatted on the floor beside his CO and gripped his arm to show his understanding and that it really was okay. "We heard you have a son too," he added hoping that Tobin would begin to remember.

The Colonel closed his eyes, rubbing the heel of his hands against his eyelids, desperate to recall a family he didn't remember. Instead what he saw shocked him rigid. His son, always so full of life, lying lifeless in a pool of blood while his wife screamed at him from behind. He'd heard a single gunshot that echoed round the neighbourhood, and it had changed his life forever.

"Charlie!" Jack muttered. "I...I killed him!" he said numbly as the memory hit him like a bullet between the eyes. Tears rolled from his eyes even as he kept them shut, trying to block them out but he couldn't. The enormity of that day's tragedy was too strong to ignore, and he dropped his head and sobbed softly, letting the heartbreak sweep over him. What sort of man was he to allow that to happen? He wondered.

"Come on guys," Fraker whispered, trying not to disturb Tobin. "I think it's time we left the CO alone for a bit."

The team silently filed out of the room and each one felt an empathy for the man's sorrow.

The next day Tobin limped across the complex, leaning heavily on his crutches, coming to a halt near the barred entrance to the prison, the guard on duty saluted him then ignored the senior office, returning to his given task.

The woman was gone from her usual spot, and he couldn't see her companion either. Feeling disappointed, he turned and limped away, only to be stopped by someone calling to him.

"Jack?" Daniel yelled urgently as he pushed his way to the front near the bars, afraid that this 'reincarnation' of his friend would leave before he'd had chance to see if it was really was Jack. If it was indeed the real Jack O'Neill, then they needed to talk to him.

"Colonel! Is that you ?" Sam asked. It had certainly looked like him, but he wasn't dressed in his usual BDU's, and he'd obviously been wounded at some stage.

Tobin turned slowly, balancing carefully so as not to topple over, despite his ease with the use of the medical apparatus. He was in no doubt now that they had seen him and that somehow they seemed to know him. It haunted him that he might know these people from somewhere if they knew his name.

But from where?

He stepped towards them again, stopping a few feet from the door.

He studied their eager faces. Delight was clearly evident in their features when he turned to face them. The woman gasped in relief and flashed him the biggest smile he'd ever seen and not only did it stir his inner thoughts and memories but surprisingly, his desire too. So who was she?

TBC


	6. Chapter 6

_Keep those reviews coming guys. I love them. Thanks to Froggy 0319; Spacejunkie82 and Revvie-S. Glad you're enjoying this._

DISTANT MEMORIES

By Lingren

_Previously:_

He studied their eager faces. Delight was clearly evident in their features when he turned to face them. The woman gasped in relief and flashed him the biggest smile he'd ever seen and not only did it stir his inner thoughts but surprisingly, his desire too. So who was she?

Chapter 6

"Jack what happened?" Daniel was concerned about Jack's injury, but was overjoyed that he was still alive. "We thought you were dead...I mean they told us you'd died."

Tobin shrugged, and shook his head.

"No. Only wounded," he replied cautiously.

For long moments nothing was said whilst Tobin stood there thinking hard, trying to recall more of his life. He'd been told when he'd woken up previously in the hospital, that a bomb blast had given him concussion resulting in selective amnesia and that, given time, his memory would eventually return.

"Colonel," the woman began. "We were really worried about you. At first we were told you were probably imprisoned in another camp..."

"Imprisoned?" he gasped in disbelief. "Me? Why should I be?"

"Well, because _we_ are," Daniel answered, a little puzzled by Jack's incredulous expression.

"So?"

"Jack what happened at the gate? Were you wounded in that fight? They said you'd been killed when we came through the gate."

"Nope! I'm still here. Near miss though!" he answered wryly, wondering how they knew of the blast that almost took him out. "But what's this gate you talk of?"

"Colonel?"

"Jack? The Stargate of course! Look, we're really glad you're okay, but you have got to get us out of here!" Daniel insisted.

Tobin studied them in silence for another long minute then looked straight at the woman.

"Why?"

"Why?" Sam squeaked in disbelief.

"Perhaps because we're your team Jack!" Daniel replied sarcastically, wondering what was going on.

"You know me?" Tobin asked. "You know who I am?"

"Sir?" Sam questioned, stunned by this question.

Tobin frowned. 'Sir'? he wondered. Since when does a woman call him 'sir'?

"Jack?" Daniel fretted, worriedly. Jack was acting strange, and in some way he wondered if Jack was trying to wind them up for some sick joke of his. But then, Daniel could see that Jack's face held a mixture of seriousness and curiosity.

"Just answer the damn question. I asked you if you really know me?" he snapped getting frustrated.

"What kind of a stupid question is that anyway? Of course we know you..." Daniel sighed.

"Daniel wait!" Sam said, and Tobin was certain he knew then that that was indeed the man's name. Daniel, he mused. It suited him, but what was his other name. A Doctor came to mind, but he didn't look like a medic.

He stared long and hard at Sam, his mind replaying the dreams of her. One name sprung to mind which he uttered, half afraid that it would break the spell, and half afraid to face the uncertain part of his life.

"You're Therra?" he asked tentatively, seeing in his mind's eye her face backlit by flickering flames again and wondering how it could be so. The name had suddenly popped into his head.

By the stunned look on her face he wondered if he'd been so wrong. Perhaps he'd been mistaken somehow. Another woman, another place maybe; it was dark wherever it had been. She'd visibly paled at the sound of the name and Daniel had taken her elbow as if to hold her up.

"Oh God!" Sam gulped, shocked. He hadn't called her that in over a year. Why? Why now?

"No sir!" she answered reluctantly. "It was for a short while a long time ago, but it's S..."

"Sam?" he gasped suddenly. "Your name is Sam! Am I right?" Maybe he did know them after all.

"Yes sir! It is Sam. Sam Carter. Major Samantha Carter, Colonel. Your second in command."

"What?" he exclaimed with a surprised snort. A woman soldier. This was just too weird. Everyone knew that women never took up arms.

Daniel looked at him in astonishment wondering whether he'd somehow stepped through another one of those quantum mirrors, and that this Jack wasn't the Jack they thought him to be.

"Sam?"

"It's okay Daniel, I think I know what's happened," she whispered. "Amnesia if I'm correct. He must have hit his head or been knocked out or something when we were attacked. Perhaps that's why they told you he'd died. Especially if he can't recall who he really is."

"Jack! That's your name." Daniel tried to jog his memory.

"And? So!"

"You're Colonel Jack O'Neill."

"No I'm not! Actually it's Colonel Jack Tobin," he answered confused.

"No, no, no. You're Jack O'Neill! We know you damnit!" Daniel cried angrily.

"No I'm not!" he denied again wondering if they were quite mad.

"Yes, yes you are!" Daniel cried fervently.

"Am not!"

"You are!"

"Not!" Jack denied vehemently.

"Jack!" Daniel sighed wearily. How could he get through to his friend? "Please. Believe me. You **are** Jack O'Neill."

Sam dropped her eyes then looked back into the darkness of the prison and sought out Reynol's eyes. He shook his head sadly, knowing the probable reason for the Colonel's denial, though Sam became more confused by this.

Jack waited in the silence, ignoring Daniel's outburst. He kept his eye's fixed on Sam before he finally turned to face the agitated young man.

"Then who exactly are you?" he asked.

"Jack, it's me, Daniel. God, why can't you remember us? What's happened to you?"

Jack looked even more confused; his forehead wrinkled and his head tilted to one side just as it always did when he tried to think clearly. He lifted a hand from the wooden crutch to rub at the headache building over his eyes.

"I asked you who you were first damnit!" he snapped tersely. "And how come you think you know me?" He needed answers, and now.

"Jack we came here as a team, through the Stargate from Earth. You..." Daniel pointed at him. "...are our leader, the CO of our team, SG-1. You're Colonel Jack O'Neill. I'm Daniel, your friend. Dr. Daniel Jackson. I'm an Archaeologist and Linguist. And somewhere out there, our fourth member, Teal'c, is still missing. Jack, have you seen Teal'c? Big guy, bald head, with a gold symbol on his forehead."

"Teal'c?" Jack said slowly, digesting the information, then shook his head. "I don't know anyone called Teal'c or of that description!" Though he did recognise the him through his dream for some reason. Was this Daniel speaking the truth?

"Yes you do Jack. Think!" Daniel pleaded earnestly, almost jumping up and down with impatience. "You have a ranch style house in Colorado Springs. You're divorced from your wife Sara; your marriage broke up because your son Charlie died. You have a deep scar on the right side of your neck, where Hathor implanted you with a Goa'uld!" Daniel gasped, trying hard to make Jack recall who he was.

Jack's heart ached with remembrance of that day again. Once more he could hear the deafening roar of the gun going off and the screams coming from Sara. He closed his eyes and tried not to think of how much it hurt. His fingers itched to rub over the familiar scarring at his neck, but he wasn't sure he wanted to acknowledge that fact to these people, not until they had completely convinced him they were right. Suddenly he didn't know who he was or what he was.

"No!" Jack yelled. "I can't remember! There's nothin' there! I don't know you, and I can't be who I'm not! I'm sorry."

Jack was so muddled he couldn't think straight any more. Without another word he turned abruptly, trying not to lose his balance, and limped away from the prison, away from the people who said he was their CO, and back to his assigned quarters. Their frustrated cries echoing in his ears as he limped away. He needed time to think, he was so confused.

He had a lot of jumbled memories he needed to sort out and was desperate to know exactly where he stood. Had these people, these strangers lied to him? How could he be this Jack O'Neill? He knew some of the things Daniel had said were true. How else would be know about Charlie? Had his own superior officers and everyone around him lied to him? He just didn't know who to believe any more.

Daniel turned to Sam and sighed.

"Well that went well."

"What do you suppose they really did to him?" Sam asked, absolutely certain that this was her Jack O'Neill. She was curious to know the answers behind his strange behaviour though, and why had he had remembered her as Therra? No-one else would know her as that, except the real Colonel and her close colleagues. It was all a mystery.

"I don't know Sam, but I think he must have had a pretty hefty hit on the back of the head for him to say those things. He obviously knows part of his name...just not all of it or us," Daniel sagged with frustration and dropped to sit on the floor again, leaning against his usual spot near the bars.

Sam followed him, sliding down the wall to sit with knees bent wrapping her arms round them, head flopping forward to rest on her knees in defeat. They sat in silence for a moment and then Reynol was there.

"You really think you know him?" he indicated the limping man as he retreated to the other side of the base.

"Yes. He's our CO, the leader of our team," Sam looked up and nodded.

"You're sure?"

"Yes. Absolutely!"

"Then the powers that be, behind the Opposition have obviously recognised his skills as a great warrior, yes?" Reynol sighed knowingly.

"What?" Daniel exclaimed. "What are you saying?"

"That because of his prowess in your military, they are using him," Reynol replied bluntly.

"You're not telling us he..." Daniel gasped at the preposterous idea. "But that's..." he gave another gasp in disbelief.

Reynol nodded.

"It's the only reason that I can think of. They must have wiped his memory, and replaced it with one of him as a soldier in their army. I told you. It's what they do!"

"Yes but you said they wouldn't..."

"If they saw him in action, then why wouldn't they take the chance and use him to their advantage?"

"Oh God, Jack!" Daniel wailed, dropping his head into his hands. Now he knew the possible truth. He just found it difficult to believe why they would do that to his friend.

"What can we do to reverse the effects?" Sam asked needing to know how she could help the Colonel should the opportunity arise.

"You can't. You just have to let it return naturally, usually it's within months, maybe a year. That is, if they don't re-programme you again or the other side might do it too if you're caught. They'll be coming for me soon. Then I'll find myself fighting all over again, but for the Opposition this time."

"What?" Daniel's head shot up again when he realised how long it could take. "We can't leave him here that long, in the hope that he'll remember and spring us out of here."

"You won't be in here much longer. A week is the usual allotted time limit," Reynol warned.

"Yes, but you were wrong before, what makes you think they won't do the same to us or keep us here indefinitely? And we'll just have to keep jogging his memory before it's too late," Daniel suggested determinedly.

"If he comes back to see you at all. Otherwise how else would you reach him from here?"

"General Hammond should be sending a Search and Rescue team in soon. We passed our return window hours ago." Sam said thoughtfully. "Maybe they'll reach us before we're toast or whatever."

OoOoOoOoO

"Chevron seven...locked," Sergeant Davis' voice carried around the control room and over the top of the noise made by the Stargate as it exploded into life.

The MALP made it's way at a snail's pace up the ramp, to crawl slowly through the shimmering event horizon.

"Receiving MALP telemetry in 5...4...3...2...1... Receiving video footage now sir."

General Hammond stood silently watching the pictures as the camera panned the area around the alien Stargate on PZ8 927.

His best team had failed to report back to the SGC and were now overdue by 24 hours. He'd given them a huge margin for unavoidable problems but still they had failed to report in. Now he wanted to know why.

A small figure moved into the line of sight and peered at the robotic probe.

"Colonel O'Neill! Come in please. This is the SGC. Over." Hammond barked into the mike.

There was no comeback to his call.

"Major Carter. Please respond. Over."

Still there was no reply, but the stranger on the planet leapt backwards and yelled something before he hurried away.

Within minutes another image filled the screen, then bent down to peer into the camera.

"Teal'c!" Hammond exclaimed in relief.

"General Hammond," Teal'c replied. I was about to contact you."

"What's up Teal'c. Where are Colonel O'Neill and Major Carter?"

"We believe they are prisoners of the enemy General Hammond."

"What happened son?" he sighed, feeling the first pangs of real anxiety nibble away at him now he knew the truth.

"We were fired upon almost directly we stepped from the Stargate. They were using some form of stun weapon and each of us was rendered unconscious. However, when I awoke I was a 'guest' of the Government forces," he grimaced in recollection of his all but temporary imprisonment but masked it with his usual stoicism. "However, there was no sign of either Colonel O'Neill, Major Carter or Daniel Jackson. It seems I was left behind for some unknown reason, and was discovered by the government troops who then carried me into the city where I have been waiting for positive news of their whereabouts."

"So you don't know where they are either?"

"We do now General Hammond. We were about to go to their aid."

"I have SG-2 and SG-3 already standing by to join in the search and rescue Teal'c."

"Their services would be appreciated General Hammond. The government of Ban Danara cannot spare many troops for our rescue attempt."

"Understood! I'm sending them through now Teal'c. Keep me posted son."

"We will succeed General Hammond. Of this I am sure!"

"I know you'll do your best Teal'c. Hammond out."

The red light on the camera blinked out and moments later eight khaki clad figures stepped through the Stargate.

"Major Ferretti it is good to see you. Major Griff," Teal'c acknowledged as he greeted the team leaders with a polite dip of his head.

"Hey Teal'c! You wanna fill us in so we can go rescue Jack's ass?" Ferretti snorted grinning.

TBC


	7. Chapter 7

Special Thanks to those who reviewed.

Froggy0319; Revvie-S and Spacejunkie82 - Glad you're still with me guys.

DISTANT MEMORIES

By Lingren

_Previously: _

"Major Ferretti it is good to see you. Major Griff," Teal'c acknowledged as he greeted the team leaders with a polite dip of his head.

"Hey Teal'c! You wanna fill us in so we can go rescue Jack's ass?" Ferretti snorted with a wide grin.

Chapter 7

Jack dreamt again that night. The images playing inside his head were becoming more clearer as the hours passed.

After he had walked away from the man and woman earlier that evening, he was passing the medical research block and overheard a conversation that drifted from an open window and of which he had no business hearing. He'd heard General Ornan ordering a captured soldier to undergo a treatment to wipe the man's memories and transplant a false memory and identity inside his head. The resultant agonised scream from the poor man told him all he needed to know.

The exchange had confirmed his worst suspicions. His own side were lying to him. They must have used the procedure on him, that's why he couldn't remember. That's why the two prisoners were so sure he was someone else. There was no bomb blast; of this he was sure now. Though he knew he would have to play along until he could work something out, and free them. Perhaps his memory would then return in full with their help.

As he'd walked back to his quarters his mind was full of questions. How come they had done this to him? How had they managed it? Whatever method or however they had done it, it didn't really matter any more. The main problem now was to release those two people from the prison that insisted he was their friend, and escape before they realised he knew the truth.

Jack woke early, disturbed by more images whilst he slept. Everything was falling into place. The cold light of day had yet to rise above the surrounding hills and trees to the east of the base, but it had already risen in his mind.

In the semi-dark and using his skills as a covert operative, he limped across the compound, having abandoned the crutches for more speed despite the added pain. Here, he hid among the dark shadows of the other buildings, waiting for the perfect opportunity to make his move. He crept silently up to the guard who had unknowingly turned his back on him and with a sharp twist, a soft crack and a silent apology, the man slumped boneless to the ground, his neck snapped effortlessly. Jack dragged him behind a thick bush and lifted his weapons, as well as the keys to the prison from the man's belt.

He then stepped back out into the open and up to the barred door, hoping that no-one would see him, and called softly to the woman.

"Sam. Sam!"

"Colonel!" she answered surprised at seeing him there at that time of the morning.

"Shhhh!" he whispered frantically, bringing an anxious finger up to his lips trying to get her to drop her voice.

"Sorry!" she replied quietly. "You remember?"

"No, not much, but enough. Here. Take these and meet me in the trees behind the prison in 5. We're getting' outta here."

"Yes sir!" she sighed, inordinately pleased that he seemed to have regained at least some of his memory so quickly.

"You remember everything, Jack?" Daniel asked.

"No! I don't! Hell, I'm really confused. I just got a feeling that this is so wrong and that somehow **we** don't belong here," Jack whispered frowning. "And I want out of this before it's too late!"

"What about your leg Jack? You can barely walk. You gonna be okay?"

"I'll manage. We don't have much of a choice here!" he whispered frantically, sounding more like the Jack they knew.

Daniel nodded his understanding, thanking god for at least giving Jack a good sense of justice when he needed it the most, despite not knowing the reasoning behind his gut feeling. They were leaving and that was the most important thing right now.

Jack handed the keys of the prison to Sam as well as the guards weapon he'd lifted, then made to limp away out of sight.

He didn't get far though.

He was only a few metres from the prison when General Ornan's voice stopped him in his tracks.

"Going somewhere Colonel?" he asked, stepping directly in front of him from the shadow of the dark building.

Sam and Daniel hastened back, hiding in the darkness inside the prison, listening to the conversation along with Reynol who had joined them, hoping to flee with them. Daniel had offered him a way of escape from this nightmare called life, by taking him through the Stargate, promising to help him find a new home.

Jack looked up slowly, coming face to face with the senior officer.

"General sir. Hi! Just out for an early walk. Couldn't sleep!" he explained flippantly. "You too?"

"I don't think so Colonel. I've been watching you very closely. You seem very interested in those particular people inside my prison. Your memory is returning isn't it?" he asked but got no answer from his quarry. "I think we will have to put you through it again, perhaps at a much higher setting. Your Tau'ri physiology is obviously very different to ours, the procedure should have taken much longer to dissipate. It would be such a shame to put an end to someone who has proved such an exceptional soldier for our army. You were very good at your given tasks Colonel. I had such high hopes for you. Now though, sadly if this doesn't work I will have to terminate you altogether. You may yet prove to be too much of a risk and that would be such a great pity!" he sighed. "You will therefore undergo the treatment again, of course at a higher setting it could either kill you or you could end up as an imbecile, but that is a risk I must take. Whatever happens we will have succeeded in bringing you to heel or by eliminating you. Oh, and your friends are next in line too Colonel. There is no escape from this, this time."

The General signalled to someone Jack hadn't heard approach from his rear. Jack could sense someone step from the shadows behind him and he began to swing round to face the danger, but before he could register the person he felt an earth shattering blow and it felled him where he stood. He was unconscious before he hit the ground.

Two men hiding in the shadows behind the General stepped forward now and yanked him upwards, dragging his oblivious form along the ground as they made their way across the shadowed area towards the procedure room.

General Ornan walked up to the prison doorway and spoke to the two hiding in the shadows.

"You cannot hide from me, Major Carter, Daniel Jackson. You will be next to undergo the procedure. You cannot escape."

Jack was dumped into a hard chair while he gradually came to. He knew what was coming now. This was clearly what had happened to him before. They'd obviously hit him with their stun weapons and made him undergo the memory thing and then he'd woken up in the hospital, other than that, he still couldn't recall how he'd gotten there in the first place.

He struggled, but all he succeeded in doing was making them tighten their ropes binding him. In the end he relaxed, slumping in the seat, hoping that by duping them into thinking he was compliant, then he could catch them off guard and somehow escape. He didn't know how, but he was working on it.

He wondered if Sam and Daniel would still break out while they could and make a run for it. Maybe they could get back to wherever home was and avoid all this. He didn't want them to suffer because of his mistake in underestimating these people.

The three soldiers who had watched everything from behind the shower block, now debated softly as to what they should do. They saw how Jack was stopped, and heard everything that the General had said. It came as a bigger shock, when for no apparent reason they knocked the Colonel out and carried him off.

Their discussion came to a conclusion, and they agreed that they didn't rate Jack's chances of coming out of this alive. So the first thing they agreed on was to release the two friends and then rescue Jack. It was obvious they, the ones they had seen Jack converse with, whoever they were they knew the CO despite the doubts Jack had had from his memory lapse.

They moved silently as the night towards the prison where Sam was about to unlock the door.

She had just turned the key in the lock when suddenly a stocky man stepped out in front of her, one hand holding the bars of the door. She leaped back into the shadows again with a startled gasp. She had no idea if these men had come for her and Daniel already.

She looked across at Daniel with an apology on her lips, but then the man spoke.

"It's okay. Please, we're not here to hurt you. We're here to help you escape and to rescue the Colonel."

Sam came forward and studied the man, he was soon joined by two others.

"Who are you and how do you know the Colonel?" she asked warily.

"We were members of his team," he stated simply, as Sam's eyes widened in surprise. "Look, we went on a mission together, that's when he was wounded. He got shot in the leg. We were worried about him, so we've been keeping a close eye on him. That's when we noticed that they were watching his every move, so we sort of watched theirs, wondering what was going on," Fraker explained.

"Yeah, and we saw him come and talk to you," added Soary. "Look we can't talk here, come on. Lets go and get the Colonel out of there before they kill him, and then we can talk later."

"Okay," Sam agreed, still dubious about who they really were, but what had they got to lose? She asked herself. "Daniel, Reynol, come on we're getting out of here and going to rescue the Colonel."

They slipped quietly from the prison, and before allowing all the others to escape too, they asked that they be given a little time to carry out their plan. Then they could all go free. It would act as a distraction and keep the other guards busy while they carried out their own little rescue mission.

Once well away from the prison and tucked safely in the shadows, the soldiers handed Daniel and Reynol a weapon each, and very annoyed at their reluctance to hand her one, Sam demanded one too.

"Women don't know how to fight! Bronan countered at her angry glare.

"This one does!" she snapped impatiently and took the spare weapon from Bronan's hands. To prove a point she checked the weapon over like the professional that she was, impressing the three strangers.

The soldiers exchanged looks but shrugged.

"Okay, I'm Captain Fraker," Fraker said introducing himself, then the others. "Lt. Soary, and Sgt. Bronan, Ma'am. You must be Sam."

"I am," Sam answered, still wary but only willing to trust them so far. "This is Daniel and Reynol."

She only informed them of their first names, she wasn't sure that filling them in on any other details yet was the best thing to do. She wasn't about to reveal that she was military either, despite the fact that she could handle a weapon as well as any of them.

Fraker laid out the plan and then they crept silently towards the block housing the re-conditioning room. There were guards on either end of the long narrow building. Fraker took one guard out by slitting his throat, and dragging him away, while Bronan took out the other guard by the same method at the same time.

They moved forwards and entered the door, creeping a few feet at a time, then stopping to allow the others to move forward, while they covered them. They approached a corner and Fraker peered quickly round the corner.

"There're two guards outside the door. Ready for this? Because as soon as we do this they're gonna start shooting inside that room."

Sam sucked in a deep breath and nodded firmly.

"Let's do it!"

Fraker dropped to his knee and fired at the first guard, while Soary stood over him and shot the second startled guard.

There were shouts from within the room and they heard the crashing of furniture. Fraker kicked open the door and there was pandemonium as several shots were fired simultaneously, everyone ducking down behind the nearest cover to avoid being hit.

There wasn't time to think. The rest of the camp guards would be there any minute.

When the shooting had stopped, Sam immediately spotted the familiar grey hair of her CO. His head was bowed, chin resting on his chest, and he wasn't moving.

With a gasp of sudden dread, she flew across the room to his side.

"Oh god...Colonel!" she cried.

He wasn't moving because he was unconscious, blood seeping sluggishly from a bullet wound to his shoulder. Her hand shook as she reached to his throat to feel for a pulse.

"He's alive," she yelled, as Daniel and Fraker came hurrying over to her.

They untied his bindings, holding him in place so he didn't fall from the chair. On closer inspection they could see that he had taken a bullet to his shoulder which looked quite bad.

Fraker ripped the attached electrodes from Jack's head and they all knew that if they had delayed any longer it would have been too late to save him. There was no knowing how long he'd actually been attached to the machine but they all hoped it wasn't long enough.

Bronan, the medic of the team, lifted a familiar object from the table and called to Fraker and Sam.

"Captain. Ma'am."

Fraker and Sam looked up and saw a syringe in Bronan's hand. They looked at each other and wondered what exactly the ramifications would be. The syringe was empty, and it was fairly obvious where it's contents were now.

Sam squeezed her eyes shut and gulped down the fear that gripped her heart. They couldn't be too late could they? Not now. He couldn't be dead. She didn't want him to leave her like this; not now.

Sam felt guilty. She'd gone into the rescue plan hoping to spare him more pain, only for him to suffer another bullet wound, and the unknown factor from whatever was now circulating in his bloodstream. Taking him away from one form of danger and placing him into another, and he could still die.

"Bronan!" Fraker snapped. "Grab the Colonel. Let's get out of here folks while we can."

Bronan lifted the limp form of his CO, with an ease which belied his small stature, and slung him over his shoulders, then carried him out of the building, surrounded and protected by the others. Soary had been wounded too, but it was just a flesh wound to his arm, and Daniel kept close to him in case he needed any help.

The soldiers they had left behind, littering the blood stained floor, included the overweight General. Fraker sent him a cursory glance and left without stopping to check them too thoroughly. He presumed all the guards were dead, but that only meant that the rest of the troops stationed there would be out for their blood in return. General Ornan was the top dog among the Opposition leaders, and now he was dead. Revenge would be swift and vicious.

As a group they waited quietly in the shadows and Fraker checked his watch. The place was swarming with guards now all wondering what was going on. From their point of view the guards resembled ants in a disturbed nest, and word soon spread that Ornan was dead. Right on cue, that's when the prisoners burst out of the prison and fled, scattering around the camp to head for the exits. It was just as Fraker had planned and they escaped while the guards now concentrated on giving chase to the escaping prisoners.

TBC


	8. Chapter 8

Thanks guys for reviewing. Keep 'em coming! Pretty Please! I need feeding!

Thanks to Revvie-S; Gwil; and Froggy0319...and anyone else for reading this!

DISTANT MEMORIES

By Lingren

_Previously:_

As a group they waited quietly in the shadows and Fraker checked his watch. The place was swarming with guards now all wondering what was going on. From their point of view the guards resembled ants in a disturbed nest, and word soon spread that Ornan was dead. Right on cue, the prisoners burst out of the prison and fled, scattering around the camp to head for the exits. It was just as Fraker had planned and they escaped while the guards now concentrated on giving chase to the escaping prisoners.

Chapter 8

The little band of rescuers had thought they had gotten away with it, until a cry went up as they entered the trees behind the complex. Now they were being chased.

Soary, holding his wounded arm tight against his side, led the way. Daniel and Reynol were next and then came Bronan, carrying the unconscious Colonel, while Fraker and Sam watched their sixes.

There were sporadic bursts of gunfire behind them but Sam and Fraker repelled the advancing troops. With little to hold them up, they made rapid progress and soon the sounds of pursuit died away and all around them was quiet once more.

The sun had risen by now and Fraker considered it too dangerous to go any further in the full daylight; they could be shot at by both sides. So Soary led them into a well hidden cave to rest. It would be easier to hide there during the day and then travel relatively safely by night in the cooler air. The temperature during the day would rise to over 100 degrees, and they had little water to sustain their efforts were they to attempt the journey. It was rising every minute now and even in the cave it was already getting hot and stuffy.

Bronan laid the Colonel down as gently as he could. The shoulder and back of his uniform was soaked with Jack's blood, but he ignored the discomfort and set about dressing the Colonel's bullet wound.

It was a given thing, with Jack's wound, that he had lost a copious amount of blood, seeing as how they didn't have time to stop and see to it earlier, but Sam was still shocked by the amount of it covering Bronan.

"How is he?" Fraker asked, looking down at the pale and inert officer.

"Not so good. He's lost a lot of blood," Bronan replied. "We'll have to keep an eye out for any sign that he's going into shock."

"They were going to put him through that procedure again and it might have finished him off. Said he was no good to them if his reconditioning didn't work," Reynol spat out. "I hate this place. I'm sick of all this useless fighting."

"Yeah, us too!" Fraker muttered, walking back to stand watch over the entrance of the cave.

"That's why we're all getting out of here. You'll take us back with you won't you?" Soary asked, wincing as Daniel pulled his bloodied jacket sleeve away from his arm to take a closer look at the soldier's wound.

Sam nodded and grabbed some clean swabs and stated to clean it for him, leaving Daniel to watch over Jack.

"Of course. We owe you for helping the Colonel. We'd never have managed to free him and escape without your help. Thanks."

"He was worth it. The CO's a good man. He didn't deserve any of this," Fraker growled from his position.

Sam kept an eye on the veteran soldier as he worked to clean the Colonel's wound and gently press home the thick wad of gauze in order to stop the bleeding. Then he slapped a clean dressing over the entry hole on the shoulder urging Daniel to hold it in place. Once he'd done that he strapped it up as best he could. He laid Jack back again and sat on his heels watching as Jack's eyelids began to flutter.

The first person Jack saw was Sgt. Bronan. He tried to scoot away in an effort to escape, but all he could do was gasp for breath and wince in pain until a stubby hand stopped him from making things worse, and besides he really was in too much pain to attempt to move let alone run anywhere.

"It's okay Colonel. Relax. We're not here to turn you in, we're on your side. We want out of here as much as you do. Take it easy now, you've been shot."

Jack nodded slightly in compliance, knowing the pain of a bullet wound so well, but still eying him warily.

Jack still looked a bit confused, he was still muzzy headed, but he allowed his eyes to rove a little to the left, to spy out the lay of the land. It was then that he saw Sam's smiling face. The smile from his previous dreams. Everything else was a total blank, but he recognised her.

"Hi sir. You're doing okay Colonel. These people, your 'team', they're helping us to get back to the Stargate."

"Ssaam?" he asked still a little unsure of his memory, his voice slurring a little.

"Yes sir," she grinned, laying a gentle hand on his cheek; heartened by his recognition of her.

"Wwhaat?" he gasped, breathlessly as another spasm of pain rolled over him.

"Jack. You're gonna be okay," Daniel assured him, "We weren't sure how soon your memory was going to come back. We heard what that General guy said when he cornered you, about your memory returning too quickly. After we saw you get hit, Sam was about to open the lock when Fraker and his men showed up. We sneaked out and that's when we rescued you. I'm sorry you got hurt though. Our attempts almost cost you your life Jack. We didn't realise they were waiting for us. Do you remember anything?"

"Noootthing," he slurred breathlessly through the pain, his speech difficult to articulate through the wool in his brain. "Jus' Ssaamm."

"Just take it easy Jack. Rest up."

Jack nodded his approval before his eyes slid shut again. He was so tired. He hadn't fully recovered from his leg wound yet and it was reminding him of its presence too, along with the fresh pain in his shoulder, and for some reason his head hurt too. Closing his eyes helped a little but not much. After a while he fell into an uneasy sleep, unable to come up with an explanation for his state of health or where he was, let alone who he was.

Sam laid a blanket over him and then settled down to sit beside him, holding onto his hand and watching closely for any signs of a fever. Every now and then, she would run her free hand over his brow. Ostensibly it was to feel for a raised temperature, but she ended up sweeping the wayward hair from his face, loving the feel of being able to touch him and to feel the softness of the short silver strands.

Daniel moved to sit beside her and watched for a moment, wisely ignoring her open display of the true depth of her feelings for her CO and letting it slide. He wasn't going to say anything. She and Jack had been attracted to each other for a long time now and he was perfectly happy for them, hoping that they would find exactly what they wanted in the other, despite the regulations set against such a relationship. They had only been together for such a short while before this. Sam wasn't going to say anything and no-one here was about to tell.

"You okay Sam?" he asked softly after he'd observed her silent tears for a while.

She turned to face Daniel with a small smile that didn't quite make it to her eyes.

"I'm worried Daniel," she admitted. "He needs medical attention and sitting around here all day is making me... I'm just finding it hard to sit back and do nothing while he...deteriorates."

"Yeah, I know how you feel Sam. So how is he?" Daniel asked, although just one look at that pallid skin was enough to tell him it wasn't good news he was expecting to hear.

"I don't know, honestly. He's not really woken enough for me to ask him how he feels, talking is hard for him. His temperature is rising, and he's restless, and it's not a good sign. I know that much!" she sighed emphatically.

"Fraker says it's just too risky to venture out there at this time of the day. There'll be patrols out searching everywhere for us. Plus it's far too hot out there. Must be one of the hottest days we've experienced here so far."

Sam seemed to drift off into her own thoughts and Daniel gave her a moment or two.

"Daniel?" she began, wanting, needing desperately to talk to someone or she'd just burst.

"Yeah Sam?"

"What...what if... What will happen if he doesn't regain all his memory?"

Daniel took a minute to fully comprehend what she was driving at.

"You mean, if he doesn't recall your being...more than friends?"

He could see the slight nod of her head just before she turned away from his scrutiny, but he heard the quiet sob and placed his arm round her shoulder, pulling her towards him.

"Perhaps he won't remember there being an 'us' any more! How will I be able to cope with that?"

"I wish I could say it will be okay Sam, but I'm as much in the dark here as you are. We can only hope that there's no permanent damage, and he'll make a full recovery."

"God, I hate sitting here doing nothing!" she snarled in frustration, banging her fist on her knee in a fit of irritation at the injustice of it all. Hadn't the man suffered enough lately.

Their attention was broken by the sound of gunfire in the distance. Wherever it was, it seemed to the waiting group to be an intense battle. The shooting was non stop.

"Is it me or does the sound of that gunfire seem to be getting closer?" Sam asked no-one in particular, growing worried.

Everyone strained to hear and they all agreed. It was indeed getting louder.

They hastily moved Jack further back into the cave out of harms way. Then they took up their positions to defend their little patch of territory.

The noise of battle grew ever closer, and Sam turned to Daniel , her face cheerful and full of hope.

"Daniel! You hear that?"

"P-90's?" he asked, a hope rising inside like Sam's.

She nodded eagerly, listening with renewed interest, until another familiar noise came to her ears.

"A staff weapon!" she crowed. "Yes! Teal'c!" she cried, punching the air with her fist.

"Then General Hammond must have sent the troops in after all!" Daniel grinned.

"So it's your own people?" Fraker asked. He hadn't known who these people were but he trusted them, or at least Jack.

"Yes, they're from our world. Our very own General sent them to find us," Sam supplied the answer for him.

"So you are a soldier too?" Bronan asked stunned. Women of this world just didn't fight. It was unheard of. It was undignified, even immoral he thought, but then he'd just discovered he couldn't even trust his own people; but these strangers he could.

"Yes, and a brilliant one too!" Daniel said before Sam could answer. "She is 'Major' Carter and Jack's second in command."

"Really?" the three local soldiers gasped in disbelief.

Sam blushed furiously at Daniel's comments and thanked god it was too gloomy inside the cave for her beetroot face to be obvious to everyone else, but she also bristled slightly at their stunned surprise.

"Yes!" she almost spat, daring anyone to pass judgement on her gender.

Nobody did, though they eyed her with new understanding and to some extent a little admiration as well as trepidation at her clipped answer.

Sam swallowed her annoyance and concentrated once more on the progress of the battle raging somewhere down the hillside.

Eventually, the noise died down to just one or two shots and then suddenly someone burst into the entrance of the cave.

To Fraker and his men, the intruder was a giant. He stood there almost filling the entrance. His stance wide, and he clutched a strange looking weapon in his right hand. They all brought their weapons up to bear.

"Don't shoot! Don't shoot!" shouted Sam and Daniel together.

"Teal'c! It's good to see you. Are you okay?" Sam asked, stepping out from behind her sheltering rock. Daniel followed to meet with their friend.

"I am well Major Carter, Daniel Jackson. What of O'Neill? Is he here with you also?"

"Yeah, but he's got a couple of bullet wounds, and he's not doing so good."

"Then I suggest we leave for the SGC immediately."

"What about the government troops and the opposition forces?" Fraker demanded, a little leery of this strange giant.

"They will no longer be a problem," Teal'c stated calmly. "The Opposition have surrendered their arms. The government have been declared the victors, and promise no more bloodshed or memory stamps. Your war is over!" he almost beamed.

"Yes!" came four collective cries as Reynol joined in the excited cheer with Fraker, Soary and Bronan.

"Then we must make haste to return you to your world," Bronan urged. "O'Neill is very weak."

Teal'c turned and yelled to someone they hadn't seen yet, and suddenly the cave was filling up with SGC personnel.

"Ferretti!" Daniel exclaimed when Lou walked in with his men.

"Where is he?" he asked, meaning Jack.

"Down here," Daniel supplied, leading the way.

Ferretti followed with his team's medic and they at once set to work to administer IV lines with fluids and blood, then checked all his bandages.

Sam could feel the heat emanating from Jack even before she actually touched his brow.

"He's burning up guys. Let's get him back to Janet a.s.a.p!"

They loaded the wounded Colonel onto a stretcher and walked out into the fading daylight on the start of their homeward journey.

Sam turned to the local soldiers as they walked, unsure of their intentions.

"What about you guys? Without you we would all be dead by now. We can't thank you enough for what you've done for us!"

"I think we will be needed here now. We have a world to develop and a peace to embrace. There has been much damage done by both sides, and, well, it will be good to start out anew," Fraker said, speaking for the others too.

"What about you Reynol?"

"Thank you, but I think I will stay too. I must try to find my family if I have any, I only hope I have one and that they're still out there somewhere, waiting for me to return. Thank you for your friendship. I hope that your Colonel recovers both from his wounds and from the memory re-conditioning."

"We wish you the best of luck, Reynol my friend. I hope this peace will stay with you always," Daniel said, then offered his hand to Fraker and the others in turn. "Thanks for everything."

"We'll escort you to your Stargate, if that is acceptable?" Fraker stated.

"Of course," Daniel grinned. He liked these guys. They were good honest men caught up in a senseless battle for world domination. They were just pawns in a worthless game of chess. Moving from one side to the other in an endless game that had no significance or meaning.

TBC


	9. Chapter 9

_Thanks to everyone again. Happy to know you're all enjoying this._

_Special thanks to Revvie-S; SG-Fan; Gwil; Froggy0319, and debcole – I missed you! Welcome back!_

DISTANT MEMORIES

By Lingren.

_Previously:_

"Of course," Daniel grinned. He liked these guys. They were good honest men caught up in a senseless battle for world domination. They were just pawns in a worthless game of chess. Moving from one side to the other in an endless game that had no significance or meaning.

Chapter 9

General Hammond stood near the bottom of the ramp in the gate room, tense lines of worry clouded his normally passive face. The SGC had been alerted a few moments ago by SG-2 that they had found SG-1 and needed a medical team to meet them when they came through the Stargate. The message had been brief and succinct, no names or other details had been forthcoming so Hammond was taking bets within himself between either Jack or Dr. Jackson being the injured party. As so often happened it was usually one or the other of the two that somehow managed to acquire an injury of some description.

He'd been down right annoyed that the Government of Ban Danara hadn't mentioned the war in all their communications before he sent his best team out there. Curiosity was building and eating away at his thoughts as the minutes ticked by and the wormhole remained open, yet free of any travellers.

Janet and her medical team entered through the blast doors and they waited in the background trying to be unobtrusive until her skills and those of her team were required.

She took a step closer to the General and stood at his elbow.

"Do we know who or what to expect sir?" she asked, her eyes drifting from the open wormhole to the anxious face of the General.

Hammond turned slightly to offer a slight wry grimace.

"No. The message merely stated that your team was needed Doctor..." he began then suddenly footsteps clattered onto the ramp and they both turned back to see who had arrived.

One of Major Ferretti's team was holding up a member of SG-1. Daniel was so tired and weak, he appeared to be in shock and as he stood there looking lost for a moment, Janet noticed he was trembling. Lt. Robson had supporting him for the last four hundred metres when dehydration and a lack of sufficient food had finally taken its toll on his body during the long hot trek back to the gate. But it was the sight of Jack's distress that had finished him off. He sat down heavily at the bottom of the ramp, dropping his head into his hands.

Janet took a step towards him but Daniel waved her away.

"I'm fine. It's not me. It's Jack," Daniel told her. "He's..." he couldn't bring himself to say it, and they were interrupted by Sam's entrance into the realms of the SGC.

"Let go Captain! I'm fine!" she grumbled, shaking off the soldier's grip.

She had fought off the supporting hand of Captain Arnold as soon as she'd stepped from the wormhole and now she staggered down the ramp and stood breathing heavily just behind Daniel. She wiped a hand across her eyes, brushing away the tears.

Captain Arnold faded into the background along with LT. Robson, but Hammond only had eyes for the two exhausted members of his premier team.

Janet could see by Sam's tear-stained face and by her short temper that she would need some gentle handling with plenty of rest and some good food into her to make her more human.

Sam pushed her weary body into some semblance of attention and hurriedly tried to explain their desperate rush to the gate because the Colonel had been wounded.

Hammond and Janet listened with growing surprise and shock to her harrowing explanation of their flight to get Jack home before it was too late.

"Then why aren't they coming through?" Hammond asked, stunned by her revelation.

"They wouldn't let me stay," Sam sniffed noisily. "I should have stayed with him, but they wouldn't let me. He didn't know them, but they practically pushed me through the Stargate."

Hammond and Janet were thoroughly confused by now.

"Sam, come on please. Let's get you to the infirmary," Janet moved her arm around her friend's shoulder, but Sam pulled away, pushing Janet's hands from the top of her arm, and having to grasp at Daniel's shoulder for support when she staggered.

"No!" she cried. "I'm not leaving yet. Daniel, tell them," she cried, slumping down to sit with her team-mate.

Daniel soothed her by taking her in his arms and casting an anxious glare towards Hammond and Janet.

"Jack doesn't know anyone," Daniel explained. "He only recognises Sam. He's got two bullet wounds and is sick with a fever which doesn't help. The bastards injected him with something...it's to do with their re-conditioning of his mind, and when we were about 200 metres from the gate, he woke, obviously disoriented, and tried to fight the others off. He thought they were the enemy and he went into some sort of fit and then his heart stopped…" Daniel choked, the words dying in his throat. "They were working hard to get him back again," he continued, "but they didn't want us to stay and watch, so they rushed us back here. They shoulda let Sam deal with him."

Sam broke into fresh sobs and Daniel pulled her tighter into his arms.

"We don't even know if they were successful..." Daniel broke off when his voice cracked and he blinked rapidly to dispel his own tears. He hated to think that Jack might have died alone back there without his team beside him.

The wormhole flickered again then suddenly the gate room was filled with cries as SG-2 along with Teal'c and the rest of SG-3 came dashing through carrying a stretcher. Each holding down the weakly thrashing figure of Jack O'Neill.

They quickly lowered him to the ramp and Janet flew to his side. She could feel the heat coming from him in waves, and it was obvious to her that he was fitting again, she yelled a string of orders.

Sam broke away from Daniel and stood, hovering close by, watching Jack as his writhing abated and his limbs fell unnaturally still.

"He's crashing," Janet cried, and her team pushed past everyone as they leapt into action.

Sam and Daniel sat side by side on one of the infirmary beds. Neither had much to say as their thoughts were tuned to what was happening in the OR down the hall.

They had both been ordered to sit there and rest after their own examinations had revealed they were in need of sleep, food and fluids. Janet didn't want them going anywhere and charged Teal'c to watch over them.

Sam had picked at her food and Daniel hadn't fared much better either. How could Janet expect them to eat and sleep at a time like this. Sam absently rubbed a hand across her stomach; it ached for food but she was too wound up to swallow it, and besides she couldn't force it past the lump lodged in her throat right now. She pushed the barely touched plate away, and with a heavy sigh she fell into a broody silence.

Sleep was something they were both fighting. Sam didn't want to fall asleep, at least not until she knew that Jack was going to be okay.

And Daniel just couldn't allow himself to rest knowing Jack was fighting for his life.

Daniel couldn't believe it had only been five minutes since he had last glanced up at the huge clock on the wall. He was so certain it had stopped working. He flicked his wrist and studied the face of his watch; shook it and held it to his ear. It was still ticking; but how? Surely an hour had passed already since the last time he'd looked.

He would have paced the floor but he was too damn tired to move, besides, he thought, if he made a move then he was pretty sure Sam was going to fall down without him there to support her weary body. She looked all out, way beyond tiredness. She was pale, and black rings circled her hollow eyes. Right now, he knew he probably didn't look much better either, but that wasn't important.

Daniel closed his eyes for a moment and leaned against Sam; the gesture bringing some small measure of comfort to them both when she leaned into his touch as well.

The door being pushed open noisily made Daniel open his eyes and blink again as Janet entered the room and came straight across to the bed.

Daniel glanced up at the clock again and was surprised to find that another hour had gone by. He thought he'd only blinked. He looked up at Janet expectantly and felt Sam sit up and take note. Something she hadn't done all the time they'd been sitting there.

"Janet? Please say he's okay?" she murmured tearfully.

Janet gave a small grimace, making Daniel's heart plummet to his booted feet.

The petite medic sucked in a deep breath after looking down at her clip board, before she started speaking.

"Right! Where to begin?" she sighed. "The bullet wounds we treated, and although the most recent one was fine, he did lose a lot of blood and we're replacing that volume right now. It was the original bullet wound that was actually infected and was the cause of his high fever. It had been treated, but it's apparent to me that their methods of treatment and hygiene are vastly different to ours," she harrumphed unhappily. "If you had stayed there for much longer and it remained infected, then he could possibly have ended up losing either his leg or his life. It's all sorted now though!" she reassured them quickly seeing the worry on their faces deepen. "I've got him on some pretty strong antibiotics, so you don't have to worry about that."

Sam still turned a whiter shade of pale at this news, if that was at all possible. She had been pale to start with. Daniel took her hand in his and slipped his arm round her shoulders, trying to smile reassuringly.

"What has me more than a little worried though is that his blood chemistry is all out, and I don't know what's causing it. I believe that whatever he was injected with is what's causing him to have fits," Janet sighed again, baffled by the evidence in front of her.

"Even the Colonel's 'other' team didn't know what chemicals were used to wipe his memory before they were about to do whatever they had planned for him," Sam explained. The idea chilling her even more. She shivered and Janet called for another blanket to wrap round the Major.

"I'm sorry Janet, I never thought to bring the empty syringe with me; we were more concerned with trying to get him home again."

"It's okay Sam, I've already got my people working on it down in the Lab. Whatever it is. If we can counteract the chemical, those fits should stop. We're trying to filter it out of his system, but I can't tell how much if any damage has been done already, not until he wakes up."

"Can we see him Janet. Please!"

"You should be resting Sam. How about you getting at least a few hours sleep and then you can sit with him. Hopefully he'll be out for hours yet. I promise I'll wake you if...if anything happens. Okay?"

Sam nodded tearfully and shivered again. Janet helped her down from the bed and got her to lie on the one next to Daniel's, insisting he gets some rest too. Sam was asleep almost as soon as her head hit the pillow and Janet covered her friend up with another warm blanket.

Daniel didn't argue, he was just too tired. He just sprawled out on the bed and was instantly asleep. Teal'c removed his boots and covered him with a blanket too then took his place between the beds as sentinel to watch over his team-mates.

Janet left them under Teal'c's care, while she returned to Jack's side.

He'd already been revived a third time. Just how many times would it take before they figured out the answers? How much more could he take without suffering any permanent brain damage? She sucked in a huge weary sigh and tried to shut out the morbid thoughts. She had to concentrate on being positive. She was going to make damn sure he survived.

TBC


	10. Chapter 10

_Just a little bit more angst to come...sorry guys! Fluff on the way too! I promise!_

_Thanks for the reviews from my faithful followers – Revvie-S; Froggy0319; Gwil; and debcole – and everyone else who is reading this._

DISTANT MEMORIES

By Lingren

_Previously:_

He'd already been revived a third time. Just how many times would it take before they figured out the answers? How much more could he take without suffering any permanent brain damage? She sucked in a huge weary sigh and tried to shut out the morbid thoughts. She had to concentrate on being positive. She was going to make damn sure he survived.

Chapter 10

Jack's senses alerted him enough for him to tell he was in hospital again. For a moment he panicked, setting the alarm on the monitor beside him into a high pitched squeal. Then someone was squeezing his hand and calling his name.

"Colonel. It's okay. It's me Sam. You're in the infirmary at the SGC. You're safe."

Jack calmed at the sound of her voice as he let her words sink in slowly.

Janet fussed around making sure he was okay, then dropped back a little to see if he would open his eyes or drift back to sleep again.

It had been three days since they had brought him home and during that time his fever had spiked but was now down, though it was still elevated a little. The chemicals in his blood were gradually dissipating, allowing his body to recover. He was still experiencing the odd fit now and then but they were nothing like before. Janet had opted to put him onto a Dialysis machine to filter his blood, and it had worked, but there was no way of knowing if he had suffered any brain damage until he woke up properly.

Jack blinked up at the purposely dimmed lights, and tried to recall where he was. The ceiling looked vaguely familiar, but apart from that he hadn't got a clue as to why he was there, or how he'd gotten there.

Sam smiled down at his face and stroked a hand up and down his arm, drawing his head round to see her.

Jack registered the smile and his mind remembered her.

He smiled back, but remained silent.

"It's good to see you sir," Sam said, smiling even more brightly at the recognition in his eyes. "Do you know where you are?"

Jack scanned the room, his eyes coming to rest on Janet standing quietly at the foot of the bed.

The petite woman in the white coat looked familiar, and he wracked his brains trying to recall her name.

She took a step closer.

"I don't think he can remember you yet Janet."

"Colonel..."

"Doctor," Jack muttered, his voice small and rasping.

Janet's face lit up with a smile and she offered him some ice chips. Had he recognised her or was it just what her white coat represented?

"That's right Colonel. Can you tell me where you are?"

He scrunched his face up, trying to remember but nothing made sense. It was familiar, but no names came to mind.

"Some sort of hospital."

Janet glanced over at Sam, her eyes telling her friend that maybe there was too much damage after all.

"You're in the infirmary sir. At the SGC."

"SGC?"

"Stargate Command," she confirmed, reluctant to enlighten him any further. She needed him to remember it.

He frowned, and winced in pain when he made to move to a more comfortable position.

"Are you in pain Colonel?"

"A little," he admitted.

If Colonel O'Neill admitted that he was in pain then he must really be hurting. But, as he wasn't himself yet, she wondered just how much he was suffering.

Janet disappeared and came back a few minutes later with a syringe loaded with a pain medication, but as soon as Jack saw it he pulled away, and cried out in distress.

"Nooo! No, no, no. Please! Don't!" he begged, gasping in agony as he jarred his wounds. "No more!" he cried.

Sam suddenly found herself with her arms full of one cringing Colonel, despite the agony he was in. Those people back on Ban Danara had a lot to answer for if they reduced the once capable and confident officer to a cringing wreck; a mere shadow of the man he used to be.

Janet backed away, putting the syringe back onto the tray and pushing it away behind the curtain, shocked at his reaction.

Jack looked up at Sam, his eyes wide with panic as he pleaded with her.

"Don't let them give me any more, please."

Sam hugged him securely, rubbing a soothing hand across his back as he clung to her.

"Hey, it's okay. It's just a pain killer Colonel. Janet wouldn't hurt you."

"It's alright Colonel," Janet assured him, smiling. "I won't give you anything if you don't want me to."

"Promise?"

"I promise sir. But you're safe here Colonel. No-one is going to hurt you."

Sam and Janet both eased him back onto the bed and gradually he relaxed against the pillows again.

"Are you hungry?" Janet asked.

Jack nodded.

Janet shot him a grin.

"I'll go see what I can rustle up from the commissary for you then. I'll be back in a while."

As Janet left the room, Daniel wandered in. His eyes lighting up when he saw Jack was awake.

"Jack! You're awake!"

"Ya think?" Came the automatic, but guarded reply.

Daniel grinned, but Sam's face had grimaced and Daniel had spotted the flash of pain that flittered across her features.

"Sam?"

"The Colonel is awake Daniel, but he doesn't really know where he is, or anyone else."

Daniel sighed. He had thought that Jack was okay when he'd answered with one of his usual pet sayings.

"Daniel. I need to...you know. I'll be back in a few minutes. Could you stay for a while?"

"Ah...sure Sam."

Sam placed a hand on Jack's arm, squeezing it slightly to grab his attention.

"I'll be back in a minute or two Colonel. Okay?"

Reluctantly he nodded but kept his eyes glued to her even as she left the room. She had to escape for a few moments. Watching Jack like this was tearing her apart. She headed for her quarters where she indulged herself with a hearty bout of crying.

OoOoOoOoO

General Hammond sat at the head of the highly polished briefing room table, SG-1 with the obvious exception of Jack was there as well as Dr. Frasier; their open files in front of them.

"...So what exactly are you saying Doctor?" Hammond asked worriedly.

So far the news about his 2IC hadn't been encouraging.

"Well sir, Colonel O'Neill is making some progress, he now recalls a few details but I think it's going to be a long haul General. He remembers Major Carter, Dr. Jackson and now myself, but he's still has a long way to go. He has odd flashes of memory but they are few and far between. The fits have now stopped and the foreign chemical has been cleared from his system."

"Dr. McKenzie is insisting he needs to be in a hospital where they can monitor the situation and he has constant care," Hammond stated sadly, looking at his notes.

"No! General, we can't do that. Not to Jack," Daniel cried, recalling all too well his own experience of a white padded room under the psychiatrist's care. He couldn't do that to Jack...no way. "All that would do, would make him shut everything out. He'd think we'd abandoned him. I won't let you do that sir. I can't!"

"I agree sir," Janet was one-hundred percent behind Daniel on this. "The Colonel wouldn't respond well to that type of treatment at all. It would only exacerbate his feelings of loss and may cause a permanent regression."

"Major Carter?" Hammond said.

"I don't think it would be any help at all sir. I believe the Colonel needs to be surrounded by the people and places with whom he is familiar. That way his memory would be jogged constantly. I believe shutting him away isn't the answer here General."

"O'Neill needs his 'family', General Hammond, namely SG-1, around him. I may yet be able to help him further if I could get him to meditate alongside me," Teal'c added.

"Will he do that?" Hammond asked in disbelief, knowing that Jack had tried before but couldn't sit still or quiet long enough for any benefit to be gained from the exercise.

"He has yet to recall that he doesn't enjoy it. Perhaps now is as good a time as any to get him to try it again," Teal'c almost smiled.

Hammond smirked and Sam, Janet and Daniel exchanged a wry grin.

"It could be just what he needs sir!" Janet encouraged.

"Alright people. Let's give this a try, but if it isn't working then I have no choice but to place Colonel O'Neill's care in Dr. McKenzie's hands. Dismissed."

General Hammond wasn't happy, it had been two weeks now since they had brought Jack home. His wounds had mended and the chemical imbalance in his bloodstream had been corrected. There were no more fits and although he was cheerful enough, the memories of who he was and what exactly he did around the base was still missing. He interacted easily enough, but it was to Sam he had the closest contact with. If he felt vulnerable he sought her out first, or if he couldn't find her, he looked to Daniel. He was indecisive, and appeared insecure.

The Jack O'Neill stalking the halls of the SGC just wasn't the same any more. He listened attentively, and sat still while people explained things to him. Although this was good from Hammond's point of view, it wasn't what they really wanted. They needed Jack to be the way he was before. Sarcastic, impossible, impatient, belligerent, and downright annoying at times. In other words just for him to be...himself.

TBC


	11. Chapter 11

_Here we are guys at the last chapter. Thanks to my faithful few for keeping my spirits up with their reviews. Hope you've enjoyed reading this. Please R & R to let me know. _

_Special thanks to Revvie-S; Froggy0319; SG-Fan; Gwil; debcole; pain-in-the-mikta; and spacejunkie82 for their constant reviews…thanks guys for all you support, it's much appreciated._

_Spacejunkie: Probably not, but it was the only way I knew you all would understand how important the characters were, especially the nasty General._

_So here we are, an extra long chapter for the finale._

DISTANT MEMORIES

By Lingren

_Previously:_

The Jack O'Neill stalking the halls of the SGC just wasn't the same any more. He listened attentively, and sat still while people explained things to him. Although this was good from Hammond's point of view, it wasn't what they really wanted. They needed Jack to be the way he was before. Sarcastic, impossible, impatient, belligerent, and downright annoying at times. In other words just for him to be...himself.

Chapter 11

The Kel-no-Reem helped a little and Jack now recalled and understood what went on around him. He could make sense of the things he saw and heard now. He knew his place in the SGC and could begin to recall people and places and a few past missions.

Another week later and he had been allowed to leave the base to go home but Daniel, Teal'c or Sam had always been there with him. There were still a lot of blanks in his memory, but gradually they were filling in.

Over the ensuing weeks he'd felt much closer to Sam than ever and she was happier now that he could recall their 'more than' friendship, though he was rather put out that he couldn't be that close to her while under the scrutiny of the SGC, and in particular General Hammond. He didn't like tiptoeing around the issue of their feelings. For Sam's sake though he understood the intricacies of the regulations and so his feelings remained hidden at work.

Then came the day when General Hammond decided that it might do him good to go on a short trip off-world to a familiar and safe planet.

Jack felt great. He had been restless and eager to get back to work, though Janet hadn't yet signed him off as fully fit for normal duty as yet, he still wasn't the same Jack.

This trip, to a designated safe planet, would be undertaken as a re-introduction to gate travel. It would be to him, like his first trip, and Sam was going to be the officer in charge.

Jack didn't mind, so long as he got to go somewhere other than sitting around on his butt getting bored inside the mountain or at home in front of the TV, and it was with Sam.

They all met up in the gate room, and he had a distinct feeling of déjà-vu, when he recalled the last time they were here.

"Sir. What is it?" Sam asked, touching his elbow when she saw him shake his head.

"I remember this," he said, pleased he could recall standing there ready for a mission. "We did this a lot."

"Yes sir, we did," she grinned.

"Bananas!" he recalled suddenly, grinning, though what it had to do with anything was beyond him.

Sam giggled, and Daniel gaped.

"Yes sir," she grimaced. "Our last mission was to Ban Danara. It's where... where you were...wounded."

"Oh!" he said, his face wrinkling into a scowl when he recalled what he had been told about how he'd been treated.

"Not going there now are we?" he asked worriedly.

"No sir. No way!"

"Good! That's good."

"Ready Colonel?"

Jack swung round to face the General up in the control room.

"Yes sir," he answered brightly, saluting the senior officer. He was raring to go.

The wormhole established and Sam grinned at him. Together they walked into the shimmering flux, followed by the others.

When they stepped out onto the planet, everything was calm and peaceful. There was lush vegetation in abundance and a bright sun shone in a clear blue sky.

Jack stood and closed his eyes, taking a deep breath of fresh air.

"Okay sir?" Sam asked.

Jack snapped out of his reverie, and grinned.

"Fine Major. Just thinking," he shrugged.

"About?"

"I remember this. Not particularly this place, but others like it. I remember the wild ride and the rush."

"That's great Jack. Maybe this will help you recall more."

Sam got her bearings and put Teal'c on point and Daniel on their six while she and Jack walked side by side between them. Not talking, but comfortable. He was taking in the countryside and Sam left him to soak up the atmosphere, hoping that it would further jog his memory of doing this on a regular basis.

They hadn't gone more than 100 metres when there was an explosion right behind them. They dropped to the ground to see where the attack was coming from. Luckily it wasn't coming from where the Stargate stood, but from an area by the trees to their right. With Jack out of action, all because the General insisted he carry no weapons as yet, Sam knew that they had to get back to the gate or risk getting captured or worse.

"Daniel, get back to the gate and dial up. We're getting out of here," she yelled above the barrage.

Teal'c was on his knees, firing into the bushes around them. Jack was lying flat on the ground, hands over his head trying to keep down out of the way. Sam too opened fire to protect him as they were near to each other, and as soon as the wormhole established she ordered Jack to run for it.

He did so, scrambling to his feet and running, but something made him look round, and he saw Sam get blasted, falling to the ground. He screamed out in denial.

"Sam! Noooo!" he ran back to her, dodging the blasts that spat dirt around his feet. There was no way he was leaving her behind. He never left anyone behind if he could help it, and another piece of the puzzle that was Jack O'Neill slotted into place. The noise of the battle was familiar and he saw it played out in vivid Technicolor in his mind as he ran towards her.

"Sam!" She couldn't be dead; she couldn't leave him. He loved her.

The next thing he knew he was flying from his close proximity to an explosion. That's when the lights went out, and he knew no more.

Sam lifted herself off the ground. Her head hurt but she looked up just as Jack screamed her name, just in time to see him get blown into the air. A blast from a death glider had exploded into the ground next to him, tossing him into the air to land in an unconscious heap. She scrambled over to him, reaching him at the same time as Teal'c.

Together they hoisted him onto Teal'c's shoulder and ran quickly towards the safety of the open wormhole, while Daniel covered their sixes.

General Hammond hadn't long returned to his office when he was summoned by the call of "Unscheduled Gate activation."

He ran back down the stairs to hear the Sergeant confirm who was calling.

"It's SG-1 sir. They're coming in hot!"

The iris swirled open immediately and he ordered a medical team to the gate room. He was wondering what the hell had gone wrong for his premier team now. They'd only been gone a matter of minutes.

Puffing slightly, he hurried into the gate-room in time to see Teal'c rush through with Jack's unconscious form slung over his shoulder, quickly followed by Sam who was being supported by Daniel and then several blasts from staff weapons which made everyone duck down quickly.

Someone yelled for the iris to be shut, but Hammond's concentration was centred on the limp figure of his 2IC. Did this man never cut a break? He wondered.

"What the hell happened Major?" he demanded, standing back as Janet and her staff rushed into the room.

For the first time he took a closer look at Sam. She was resting her hands on her knees, gasping in great gulps of air, and when she stood up at his question, he could see she was bleeding from a graze along her forehead.

"Are you okay Major?" he asked taking her arm when she wavered slightly.

"I'll be fine sir. It's the Colonel. He was knocked out by a blast from a death glider sir."

They stood silent for a moment while they watched Janet quickly examine the Colonel, keeping their gaze fixed on the gurney as they rapidly wheeled him away.

"They came out of nowhere General. We didn't see any sign of them until they opened fire."

"Go get yourself to the infirmary Major. We'll debrief in two hours. Dr. Jackson?" Hammond called, indicating that he should help Sam to the infirmary. He was full of curiosity as to why a safe planet had been overrun with Jaffa troops but it would have to wait until the team was cleared by Dr. Fraiser.

"Yes sir."

Daniel took Sam's arm, holding her steady as they walked from the room. Hammond knew she was worried about O'Neill. Hell, they all were. This was all the Colonel needed now on top of everything else.

An hour later, Janet loomed over the inert figure lying on the infirmary bed, lifting an eyelid to shine her pen light into the Colonel's eye.

She had a marked reaction to the first one, but the second eye blinked rapidly and Jack pulled his head away sharply, regretting it immediately with a deep groan of pain.

"Jeeez Doc. Do ya mind, for cryin' out loud?" he grumbled, trying to stop his head from spinning; blinking away the bright spots now in front of his pupils. He knew a concussion when he had one.

"Sorry Colonel, but I have to check your reactions. How do you feel?"

"Like I just got blindsided by a semi-truck!"

"That's to be expected sir. That blast could have killed you."

"Well it didn't, though come to think of it, maybe it did," he replied. "God...I hurt."

"Well if it's any consolation, you're covered in cuts and bruises."

"Gee thanks for the visual Doc."

Janet took his temperature and checked his pulse and BP again.

"Where's Carter? Is she okay?" he asked, panicking slightly as he recalled her going down.

"Sam's fine Colonel. She took a little knock but she's... Colonel?" she queried, her face showing puzzlement.

"Doc?" Now he was equally as confused by her reaction.

"You called her Carter?"

"And? So? I always call her Carter or Major; that is her name."

"Sir, What do you recall of your visit to PZ8 927?"

"Not a lot. I remember getting shot to pieces after we arrived. How'd we get home?"

"What about the mission before that sir?"

"Piece of cake Doc. Nice quiet planet. No wildlife tryin' t' eat us, no-one shootin' at us. Why?"

"That was over two months ago Colonel."

"What?" he gasped. "Two months? What the hell happened in between?"

"It's a long story sir. But I'm sure Sam will fill you in soon, but not now."

He sighed resignedly. It was a total mystery to him as to why he'd just lost two months of memories, and his head hurt already.

"Do you recall getting injured this time round?"

"Yep. Carter went down and the next thing I know, I'm flying through the air like a bird only without the wings. Then someone turned the lights out."

"How's the head? Headache?"

"Nail in the head type Doc."

Janet smiled at him, understanding his head ached badly, she injected another dose of pain killer, telling him she'd be back in a minute, then disappeared much to his further bewilderment.

He shrugged as best he could, wishing he hadn't, and lying back, closing his eyes he rested but wondered what the hell was going on.

Janet came back a little while later, but this time, General Hammond, Daniel, and Teal'c came, and so did Sam who was sporting several neat stitches in her forehead. Jacob entered the room too.

All the time Jack had lost his memory, Jacob had not visited the SGC, but as he stepped into the room with the others, Jack greeted him in his usual manner.

"Jacob. Hi! So what do we owe this visit to? You can't tell me you came all this way to see me?" he asked, frowning at their beaming faces.

"Hi Jack. Good to see you're still with us," Jacob replied.

"General, Daniel, Teal'c," he nodded at each of them in acknowledgement. "Carter, you okay?" he asked pointing at the row of stitches in her brow.

"He's back!" stated Daniel grinning.

"Oh yeah! Still as irascible as ever," added Janet.

"What?" Jack demanded, getting a little annoyed with their comments and keeping him in the dark as to what they were talking about. He hadn't got a clue as to what they were inferring. "What's goin' on?"

"See what I mean?" Janet said with a grin.

"It's good to have you back sir," Sam smiled, placing her warm hand on his arm, where it tingled before she removed it quickly. "It must have been that concussion that knocked everything back into place," she speculated. Janet had to agree.

Jack still didn't know what had happened, and no-one seemed in a hurry to enlighten him.

"Yeah? Sorta brings a whole new meaning to the phrase – 'knocking some sense into you', doesn't it Jack!" Daniel laughed, and Jack glowered at him.

"Hey, I resent that!" Jack cried indignantly.

"Aw c'mon Jack...you got to admit it, it worked!" Daniel snorted in amusement, drawing sniggers and laughter from those around the bed.

"It's good to have you back son," Hammond chuckled, patting him on the shoulder.

"Indeed O'Neill," Teal'c rumbled.

Jack wasn't sure that he was awake even. Everything seemed unreal. What the hell were they talking about? He closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose as his headache spiked with confusion.

They all took the hint at Janet's silent shooing motion.

"Catch you later Jack," Daniel called as everyone made for the door, leaving Sam behind. Even Janet hurried away, satisfied her patient was back to his normal self, and would recover well after his latest escapade.

"Yeah sure!" Jack sighed wearily, he really was tired and his head was pounding. He was still waiting for the meds to take effect.

The door shut, plunging the room into silence.

He looked up at Sam, feeling beyond tired now after all the weird fuss he'd just witnessed. Maybe he'd gone through one of those mirror thingies and had just returned. He didn't know what to think.

"It's really good to know you're going to be okay sir. I thought we might have lost you again."

"Can't get rid of me that easily Carter," he quipped.

"No sir. So I've noticed. Still, it's not through lack of trying though, is it?" she sniggered.

He pouted a little at her joke, but then grinned too because it was Sam.

"And I'll keep bouncing back for as long as I can," he promised.

"Oh I so hope you do," Sam giggled, taking his hand in hers. "Do you...em ...do you remember this?" she asked hesitantly, lifting his hand to show him their entwined fingers, then bringing it to her lips to brush a sweet, tender kiss over his knuckles.

He squeezed the hand beneath his fingers gently.

"Oh yeah. That's something that's deeply engrained into my memory Sam. I'll never forget you, no matter what they do to me."

Sam thought back over the last mission. It was true, even when he couldn't recall anything about his life prior to his brain-washing, he'd still remembered her. He'd known her, even then, drawn to her by something deeper than memory. The recollection of that mission brought a tear to her eye, and a huge quivering smile to her lips from his words.

"No, I don't think you would Jack. Ever," she replied brokenly. "Like I could never forget you."

"Hey! C'mon, what's with the tears," he asked gently, reaching up to wipe the moisture away.

"It's a long story Jack. One that you won't remember anything about, though it almost cost you everything."

"That bad huh?"

She nodded, her voice deserting her.

He squeezed her hand again and smiled.

"I love you Sam. I always will."

"I know Jack. I know."

And she did.

He had proved it without even trying to. And she loved him all the more because of it. She sat down on the edge of the bed, and smoothed his silver hair away from his brow, carefully avoiding the obvious damage. She could see he was tired now, the effects of the blast still too recent.

"Rest Jack and I'll tell you all about it tomorrow."

"Okay, I can do that. You staying?"

"Wild horses Jack." She whispered as his eyes closed involuntarily; weariness setting in. "Wild horses couldn't drag me away."

"Love you Sam..." he whispered drifting off to sleep.

"I love you too Jack!" she whispered back, gently caressing his cheek.

He fell asleep with a smile on his lips at the slight pressure of a sweet kiss on his brow and dreamed dreams of a smiling face with blue eyes that lit up whenever he drew near.

The End.

_Thanks for reading this. I hope you all enjoyed it. Thanks to all of you who bothered to send reviews. I appreciated them a great deal. Thanks._

_Another new story on the way!_


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